The NBN is a project undertaken by the Australian federal government to deliver high-speed, reliable Internet to millions of Australians. It's intended to replace outdated copper connections with new fibre-optic cables to drastically improve Australia's connectivity.
How do I check if I have the NBN?
If you aren't sure whether your address is already hooked up to the NBN, you can easily check whether you have access to the NBN or the expected rollout date for the NBN at your premises by using the NBN tracker above. All you'll need is your address.
How fast are NBN plans?
The speed of your NBN connection is usually stated as a "typical evening speed". While NBN connections can theoretically reach 100Mbps, these evening speeds give a more realistic idea of what you'll actually get when downloading at the busiest time between 7pm and 11pm.
Beyond these maximums, there are four tiers of NBN Internet plans. The faster the speed you want, the more it will cost you.
Basic I. This is a bare bones connection, offering about the same as an ADSL2+ connection. This equates to roughly 8Mbps, which is enough for basic web browsing.
Basic II. A good step above Basic I, offering speeds of 20Mbps. This will let you stream good quality videos, but only if no one else is using the Internet. Providers may offer a boost to upload speeds with this tier for an extra cost.
Standard. This tier is suitable for heavy Internet users, offering a speed of around 40–45Mbps. With this, you should have no problem streaming high-quality videos, downloading large files and playing games. Usually, plans on this tier are only a little cheaper per month than Fast plan.
Fast. Boasting speeds of about 80Mbps, this should provide a fast enough connection for a household full of heavy Internet users or even a small business with several employees. A boosted upload speed can help make video conferences and file sharing quick and painless.
What connection will I get at my property?
The NBN isn't being rolled out the same everywhere, with different areas receiving different types of connections. What type of connection you get can have a big impact on your connection speed.
Fibre to the node (FTTN). Here, the high-speed fibre-optic cables are hooked up to a node on your street before being carried to your house via older copper cables. How fast your connection is depends on how close your house is to the node, so that someone could get a great connection at one end of the street while someone a few doors down gets a much slower one.
Fibre to the premises (FTTP). This is the best connection you can get under the NBN. In this, fibre-optic cables are hooked up directly to your home via the ground or through overhead lines. These should deliver the maximum speeds your provider can offer, but only about 20% of properties will get FTTP.
Hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC). This is a slight upgrade on fibre to the node connections. Fibre-optic cables are still run to a node on your street, but heavy-duty coaxial cable is used to carry the signal the rest of the way to your house. These coaxial cables are already used for cable TV and the like and are better at transmitting the signals faster.
Fixed wireless. Usually used in regional areas, fixed wireless connections run fibre-optic cables to a signal tower which then broadcasts the signal to properties within 14km. The fastest connection you can hope for with fixed wireless is 50Mbps, but it's generally slower than that.
Unlike providers, the type of connection you have is fixed – in short, you're stuck with whatever connection your property has. If a fast Internet plan is your top priority, take the type of connection into consideration when moving.
Frequently asked questions about the NBN tracker
The Finder NBN Tracker obtains its data from the publicly available information provided by NBN Co. We also mix this with a substantial set of information provided by reputable third-parties in order to provide comprehensive information about the NBN.
The Finder NBN Tracker also leverages a more detailed 3-year construction plan which includes information such as indicative localities, expected build-commencement dates and expected ready-for-service dates. We cannot provide any link for you to verify this information yourself, but we assure you that it is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Areas of our NBN tracker map shaded in orange provide a very rough visualisation of this 3-year construction plan. They are generated using the list of suburbs covered or partially covered by the plan. It is not the NBN's actual footprint and will likely change when construction commences in those areas. As you zoom into the rollout map, the orange fuzzy shades will disappear as it can only be used for a rough high-level guess. It is approximated by finding the city/town centre of each of the indicative localities.
We try to keep all information as up to date as possible. But since we rely heavily on information provided by external parties, information may be delayed.
When you enter an address into our NBN Tracker, it will be classified with one of the following labels:
Marker
Status
Meaning
Ready for Service
The NBN is switched on in your area and you're eligible for its services. Note which technology is available at your address under Rollout Type and click Compare NBN plans to get started.
Build Commenced
The NBN rollout has begun in your area but is not quite ready. Check the Build Started date and Estimated End Date for a better idea of when the NBN will be available to you. You can also sign up for email updates through our NBN tracker to get notified when the NBN is ready in your area.
Remediation
Remediation occurs in an area where Telstra has leased its pits and pipes to NBN Co. In these situations, NBN Co has to wait on Telstra to update its infrastructure before commencing the build.
3 Year Plan
If your property is marked as 3 Year Plan, it means there are plans to roll out the NBN in your area, but no official rollout date has been set. Check the First build expected and Last build expected dates to get a better idea of when the NBN is expected to arrive.
These terms are used to describe the rollout areas the NBN is being built into. Greenfields refers to new estates where fibre can be built alongside other utilities as the area is developed. Brownfields refers to established areas where the NBN is being rolled out.
Service Classes are numbers used to represent the serviceability status of a particular location in the NBN network.
Service Class
Service Class Definition
Service Class 0
The location is planned to be serviceable by fibre
Service Class 1
The location is serviceable by fibre, no PCD or NTD in place
Service Class 2
The location is serviceable by fibre, PCD installed, no NTD in place
Service Class 3
The location is serviceable by fibre, PCD and NTD in place
Service Class 4
The location is planned to be serviceable by fixed wireless
Service Class 5
The location is serviceable by fixed wireless, no antenna and NTD in place
Service Class 6
The location is serviceable by fixed wireless, antenna and NTD in place
Service Class 7
The location is planned to be serviceable by satellite
Service Class 8
The location is serviceable by satellite but no satellite dish / NTD yet in place
Service Class 9
The location is serviced by satellite (dish and NTD in place)
Service Class 10
The location is planned to be serviceable by copper
Service Class 11
The location is serviceable by copper, copper lead-in required
Service Class 12
The location is serviceable by copper, jumpering is required
Service Class 13
The location is serviceable by copper, infrastructure in place
Service Class 20
The location is serviceable by cable (HFC)
Service Class 21
The location is within the HFC footprint, no drop, wall plate or NTD
Service Class 22
The location is within the HFC footprint, drop in place, no wall plate or NTD
Service Class 23
The location is within the HFC footprint, drop and wall plate in place, no NTD
Service Class 24
The location is within the HFC footprint, drop, wall plate and NTD in place
Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney.
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