Is your broadband plan reliable? New ACCC report ranks NBN providers
Launtel, Exetel and Optus retain top 3 spots in the ACCC's latest broadband performance report while Aussie gamers enjoy fast connections.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) latest Broadband Performance Report for April 2023 shows performance from the biggest NBN providers remains largely steady for fixed-line NBN plans during the busy or peak hours of the day, 7pm–11pm.
Launtel tops the charts for the second time in a row after. It was also number 1 in the December 2022 report.
Exetel was a close second for delivering the maximum download speeds as advertised on its plans.
Optus slipped to number 3 after being second in the December 2022 report, with its reliability dropping ever so slightly.
Here's the full list of the top 12 providers in Australia and their performance in the ACCC's report.
| Rank | NBN provider | Peak hours | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launtel | 103.10% | |
| 2 | Exetel | 102.9% | |
| 3 | Optus | 99.9% | |
| 4 | Telstra | 99% | |
| 5 | Superloop | 98.5% | |
| 6 | Dodo | 97.9% | |
| 7 | iPrimus | 97.9% | |
| 8 | Vodafone | 97.3% | |
| 9 | TPG | 97% | |
| 10 | Aussie Broadband | 96.5% | |
| 11 | iiNet | 95.1% | |
| 12 | MyRepublic | 94.4% |
Keep in mind that MyRepublic was still available when the broadband performance was measured but it has since ceased operations in Australia and migrated its services with Superloop.
Why are peak NBN speeds important?
Peak hour speeds are a good indication of how fast your internet will run when a lot of people are online at the same time.
NBN providers display this as their typical evening speed.
For example, a provider might promise 100Mbps typical evening speeds on an NBN 100 plan. This is the maximum that can be achieved on this speed tier, which means you can't get any better.
Two of the top 3 retail service providers in the ACCC were smaller providers which shows you don't have to go with a big brand for a good internet connection.
"The results of some of the smaller retailers reaffirms that they can provide similar, if not better, performance than the larger telcos which is good for competition," ACCC commissioner Anna Brakey said.
When comparing your options, it means you should also consider smaller retailers as you might miss out on some great deals.
ACCC report measures online gaming experience for the first time
This is the first report in which the ACCC measured Australians' online experience for gaming services.
The report found Aussies typically have fast connections to online gaming servers over home broadband connections.
It also showed that latency to Australian servers for popular online games like Fortnite and League of Legends had minimal stuttering or lag, which means means users generally have a good gaming experience.
- Good to know. Latency refers to the time it takes to send data from a user's device to a server and back. Higher latency means there are delays in sending and receiving data, which can be disruptive to the gaming experience.
The main finding of the report was that gaming experience is relative to the distance to gaming servers, with latency increasing when the server is further away.
That means for Australians, there may be a poorer gaming experience if playing online where the server is located overseas.
The report has also shown that latency does not depend on the selected speed tier, which means that upgrading to a faster plan will not necessarily improve the gaming experience, even though higher speeds are generally recommended for better gaming performances.
"We encourage consumers to consider the cost and quality of the various retail plans available and choose the plan that represents the best value to them," Brakey said.
Read more about the fastest and most reliable NBN providers in Australia, or check out our top picks for the best NBN plans for April 2023.
