If you have a need for speed and are a Vodafone customer, you might be able to push that broadband connection to ultra-fast levels.
The NBN is finally (finally) making it possible for a great majority of Australians to log on at better than basic connections, but what you call “better” may vary wildly between what you and your neighbours think.
If you don’t mind 25, 50 or 100 megabit connections, almost every ISP can serve your needs, with those available from pretty much any and every connection in Australia.
But if you thirst for more speed, your options may well be a touch limited. Connections that push into the “ultra fast” category for the National Broadband Network and venture into 250 megabit maximum speeds and beyond seem to be a bit of a rarity, at least right now, but there are a few, with one more joining in the past week.
Vodafone has joined the handful of providers pushing into the speeds, with a 250 megabit plan and an “Ultra” plan that ventures up to a maximum of 1 gigabits, using the NBN “Ultrafast” product. That’s a maximum of 1000 megabits, though your results may vary dependent on what’s going on at the time.
Essentially, they’re the sort of plans that could rival what’s on offer not just from folks using 4G, but also those latching onto a broadband networking with 5G, making high speed connectivity a possibility at home in more places for people who want them. And there do appear to be people who want them.
“Around 40% of our customers have chosen our Premium NBN plan (NBN 100) so we know that there is strong demand for higher speed plans in the Australian market,” said Ana Bordeianu, Chief Customer Officer at Vodafone.
“At Vodafone we want to make sure that our plan suite evolves to reflect our customers’ changing needs, and they have the freedom to enjoy the benefits of Vodafone NBN,” she said.
The addition of Vodafone to 1Gbit plans provides at least three players in Australia to notch up an internet connection that fast, as Voda joins Aussie Broadband and Superloop, according to the Whistleout broadband directory. That’s effectively more choice, even if it’s a little, and means folks who need those speeds have a little more they can turn to.
Pricing appears to be similar, too, with Vodafone offering a $155 per month plan for its Ultrafast option over the $149 of its competitors, though includes a 4G backup with its own Vodafone Hub router, something most broadband rivals will not include.
That’s for the maximum of 1000 megabit connection, while Vodafone’s 250mbit connection sits at $135 monthly, with both eligible for plan pricing changes when bundled in with other Vodafone customer services, which may be useful if you’re already using Vodafone or thinking of joining.
