The NBN is delivering more than 80% of its speed during peak hours
ACCC monitoring suggests that NBN speeds, even during busy peak periods, are on the upswing.
Check out the fastest NBN providers updated for April 2021 here
While connection woes, and even the simple matter of when some Australians will be able to actually connect to the National Broadband Network, remain a key concern for Australian Internet users, the issues around the actual achieved speeds on the network have formed a substantial proportion of user complaints.
Indeed, the ACCC has recently taken a number of NBN providers to task for selling plans to consumers where line conditions couldn't support their plan speeds, with Dodo and iPrimus the most recent internet providers to be reprimanded and forced to offer refunds and early contract exits.
The ACCC has released its first report from its broadband speed testing scheme, put in place to provide real-world data on how well the NBN is actually performing. Its results suggest that while there is a measurable dip in the evening hours when more users are on the NBN, it's not quite as marked as you might think. Across iiNet, Optus, Telstra and TPG NBN services, typical speeds always exceeded 80% of their stated plan speeds, with only a rough 1% drop during peak evening periods of 7pm to 11pm.
TPG fared particularly well in terms of delivering to plan speed expectations, and its subsidiary internet provider iiNet performed in a similar style.
In data terms, the ACCC's testing also suggested that consumers switching from ADSL2+ over to 25Mbps NBN plans will see significant speed improvements, based on its real world testing. Here's how each NBN tier compared against tested ADSL conditions:
While the figures are only averages, so your individual connection speeds may vary, they do tend to suggest that NBN Co's recent moves to shift users towards higher speed plans while making CVC purchases more attractive for internet providers may be bearing real world performance gains for users.
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