Average NBN Speed: What is the typical evening speed?

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The NBN offers several different speed options, but it’s important to make sure you’re on the right speed tier for your needs. If your NBN speed tier isn’t fast enough to handle your home’s daily broadband usage, you’ll find yourself disappointed with your NBN performance and reliability. On the other hand, you may be paying more than you need to for ultra-fast speeds, and you could save on your plan fees by switching to a lower-tier plan.

Between the available NBN speed tiers, and the jargon used to describe each option, it can be hard to figure out which plan is your best match. To pick the right plan NBN provider, you’ll need to look at not only the speed tiers available, but also the Typical Evening Speed listed by your potential new telco. In this guide, we’ll look at how NBN speeds work, why Typical Evening Speeds are so important and the average NBN speed you can expect, and how many of the popular NBN providers stack up for each speed tier.

NBN offers you might like

• NBN Sponsored Plans
• NBN50 Plans
• NBN100 Plans

The following table shows a selection of sponsored unlimited data Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50), and Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.

Sponsored Products

Enthusiast nbn 100 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $99) Typical evening speed of 97Mbps 12mth Paramount+ subscription included for new customers. Plus Everyday Rewards members earn 5000 Everyday Rewards Points. T&Cs Apply

Unlimited Data/month

$99 Cost/month

Go to Site

NBN 100 SL Bundle BYO 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $79.99) Typical evening speed of 97Mbps Special Offer: Save $10/month for the first 6 months! $0 modem available. Plus, get 1 month’s plan fees on TPG.Ends 02/07/24. New customers only. T&C apply.

Unlimited Data/month

$79.99 Cost/month

Go to Site

Essential+ nbn plan 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $80) Typical evening speed of 50Mbps Have a Vodafone phone plan? You’ll save $5/mth on Vodafone internet Get in quick on this package deal. T&Cs Apply

Unlimited Data/month

$80.00 Cost/month

Go to Site

View all nbn plans listed on Canstar Blue

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Unlimited Home Standard (NBN 50) Plans

The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

Unlimited Home Fast (NBN 100) Plans

The table below shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

What is an average NBN speed or typical evening speed?

The average NBN speed, usually called a ‘typical evening speed’ is the speed advertised by telcos is the NBN average speed you can expect on a plan during the evening busy period (between 7pm and 11pm). This speed is generally the best indicator of the type of speed you will experience on a plan and can help give an idea of how well a provider’s plans may perform. There are seven wholesale NBN speed tiers available, however not every telco sells each of these tiers. Typical Evening Speeds can differ from telco to telco, which is why shopping around for NBN plans is so crucial.

NBN evening speeds compared

Before we look at ‘typical’ speeds, it’s important to get an understanding of how NBN speeds are marketed and sold. NBN Co. divides its speeds into seven main categories:

• NBN 12 – also referred to as ‘Basic’ or ‘Home Basic I’
• NBN 25 – also referred to as ‘Standard’ or ‘Home Basic II’
• NBN 50 – also referred to as ‘Standard Plus’ or ‘Home Standard’
• NBN 100/20 – also referred to as ‘Premium’ or ‘Home Fast’
• NBN 100/40 – also known as ‘Fast Pro’
• NBN 250 – also known as ‘Home Superfast’
• NBN 1000 – also known as ‘Home Ultrafast’

These numbers simply refer to the maximum possible download speeds achievable on each tier, measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). Access to these tiers is then sold to customers by internet service providers (such as Telstra, iiNet, or TPG). You can choose which speed tier you’d prefer when signing up to an NBN plan, but not every service provider will offer every speed.

The extra-fast tiers offered on the NBN, which are not always offered by all providers, are typically only available to customers with a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) or eligible Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) NBN connection type. These are NBN 250 (also known as Home Superfast) and NBN 1000 (also called Home Ultrafast).

Below are the main speed tiers available to retail NBN customers, in order of speed and price. The faster your plan, the more you should expect to pay, but keep in mind that actual prices will vary depending on your telco.

Home Basic I evening speeds (NBN 12) compared

• Downloads: Up to 12Mbps
• Uploads: Up to 1Mbps 
• Typical evening speed range: 10-12Mbps
• Household size: small, with one device connected most of the time

This is the entry-level NBN speed tier, offering a maximum download speed of 12Mbps and uploads of 1Mbps. Also known as NBN 12, Home Basic I plans are ideal for light-to-average users, or single-person households; if you’re looking for a family plan, or want to stream in high definition, this tier isn’t for you.

Which telco has the fastest NBN 12 evening speed?

Below is a list of the fastest advertised typical evening speeds for NBN 12 from popular providers. Note that these typical speeds are subject to change, as the providers regularly review their performance and update expected speeds.

Source: Respective retailers, April 2024.

Home Basic II evening speeds (NBN 25) compared

• Downloads: Up to 25Mbps
• Uploads: Up to 5Mbps 
• Typical evening speed range: 20-25Mbps
• Household size: small to medium, with one to two devices connected most of the time

If you want something a little faster than basic NBN, the NBN 25 speed tier offers downloads of up to 25Mbps, and uploads of 5Mbps. While this speed is more than fast enough for streaming video, if you’re in a multi-user household – or want to watch in high definition on more than one device – it may not quite cut it during busy periods. Home Basic II plans may, however, be suitable for singles, couples, or people with average usage needs.

Which telco has the fastest NBN 25 evening speed?

Below is a list of the fastest advertised typical evening speeds for NBN 25 from popular providers. Note that these typical speeds are subject to change, as the providers regularly review their performance and update expected speeds.

Source: Respective retailers, April 2024.

Home Standard evening speeds (NBN 50) compared

• Downloads: Up to 50Mbps
• Uploads: Up to 20Mbps 
• Typical evening speed range: Around 45-50Mbps
• Household size: medium to large, with three to four devices connected most of the time

For most families, gamers, and Netflix addicts, this is the ‘just right’ speed tier, providing a maximum download speed of 50Mbps, and uploads up to 20Mbps. The NBN 50 speed tier should provide congestion-free, HD video streaming, and allow multiple devices to be used at once without compromising speed. It’s also an ideal NBN choice for anyone who works from home.

Which telco has the fastest NBN 50 evening speed?

Below is a list of the fastest advertised typical evening speeds for NBN 50 from popular providers. Note that these typical speeds are subject to change, as the providers regularly review their performance and update expected speeds.

Source: Respective retailers, April 2024.

Home Fast evening speeds (NBN 100) compared

• Downloads: Up to 100Mbps
• Uploads: Up to 40Mbps (or 20Mbps on the 100/20 speed tier)
• Typical evening speed range: Around 90-100Mbps
• Household size: large, with more than five devices connected most of the time

One of the fastest and more expensive NBN options, NBN 100 offers potential download speeds of up to 100Mbps (and uploads of 40Mbps or 20Mbps depending on your plan), and is the best option for big households and heavy users who want lag-free and congestion-proof gaming, streaming, and downloading. If you rely heavily on fast internet for work or leisure, want to watch video in 4K where available, and aren’t afraid to pay a little extra each month, a Home Fast (or Fast Pro NBN 100/40) plan will ensure you get the most from your NBN connection.

Which telco has the fastest NBN 100 evening speed?

Below is a list of the fastest advertised typical evening speeds for NBN 100 from popular NBN providers. Note that these typical speeds are subject to change, as the providers regularly review their performance and update expected speeds.

Source: Respective retailers, April 2024.

With big names such as Telstra and Optus now offering a typical evening speed of 100Mbps for NBN 100 plans, and many other providers delivering averages over 90Mbps, this speed tier offers a fast performance ideal for bigger households and large families.

Home Superfast evening speeds (NBN 250) compared

• Downloads: Up to 250Mbps
• Uploads: Up to 25Mbps
• Typical evening speed range: Around 200-250Mbps
• Household size and usage: Large households, smooth 4K streaming (with up to 10 devices online), smooth cloud-based and online gaming, seamless video calls

The second fastest NBN speed tier offers super-fast speeds to keep up with larger households and high intensity activities such as 4K video streaming and good quality video calls. The expected typical evening speeds from many providers should also be fast enough to keep up with those high-intensity activities during the busy period. Plans on the NBN 250 speed tier should strike a good balance between faster speeds than NBN 100 but cheaper prices than NBN 1000.

Which telco has the fastest NBN 250 evening speed?

Below is a list of the advertised typical evening speeds from a range of popular NBN providers. Keep in mind that these evening speeds are only a guide of the speeds you can expect on these plans and can change as providers regularly review and update evening speed performance.

Source: Respective retailers, April 2024.

Home Ultrafast evening speeds (NBN 1000) compared

• Downloads: Up to 1000Mbps
• Uploads: Up to 50Mbps
• Typical evening speed range: Around 250-800Mbps
• Household size and usage: Large households, reliable 4K cinema-quality streaming (with up to 10 devices online), suitable for all online and cloud-based gaming needs, seamless and high-quality video calls

The fastest speed tier available on the NBN, NBN 1000 — also known as Home Ultrafast — offers super-fast internet speeds capable of handling the most intensive online activities with ease, such as video calls, top-quality video streaming and all of your gaming needs. The expected evening speeds for NBN 1000 plans varies greatly between NBN providers and none of the popular providers are currently reaching close to 1000Mbps during the evening peak. Keep in mind, NBN 1000 plans aren’t as widely available as NBN 250, so you may have a limited choice of plans and providers.

Which telco has the fastest NBN 1000 evening speed?

The below table lists the advertised typical evening speeds from some popular NBN providers. These average NBN speeds are only a guide on what speeds you may experience on these plans, and providers regularly review and update typical evening speed performance.

Source: Respective retailers, April 2024.

Typical Evening Speeds: The speeds you can trust?

‘Typical Evening Speeds’ have become a standard advertising and plan information inclusion for NBN providers, and are the best way to predict how fast your service will be during busy evening periods by looking at this average NBN speed.

When a telco provides a Typical Evening speed for an NBN plan, it’s referring to the average speed attained by customers during peak hours of between 7pm and 11pm. These speeds still aren’t guaranteed, but provide a real-world figure as to what a provider’s plan is capable of in everyday conditions. Most NBN providers now list Typical Evening Speeds for each plan tier, and usually update these statistics monthly.

Other NBN speed factors

Even if you’ve picked the best speed option to keep your house happy, there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually experience the average NBN speed described by your telco. Factors that can affect your connection speed include network congestion (e.g. the number of people using the network at once), the equipment and hardware you use to connect, and where the server you’re trying to connect to is located.

Your NBN connection type can also impact your broadband speed. There’s a reason Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connections are considered the gold standard technology type used in the NBN rollout, as these replace the existing copper telephone cable and offer the fastest potential download and upload speeds. If you’re lucky enough to have a FTTP connection, your home is directly connected to a telephone exchange via fibre optic cable, so you’re more likely to experience the best speeds available for your plan and location.

Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Basement (FTTB) connections are more common, and mean your home is connected to a nearby node via your older copper wires, then that node is connected to an exchange with optic fibre. The further away your home is from your neighbourhood node (or the node in your building, for FTTB plans), the slower your possible maximum speed may be.

Potential speeds will also vary between other NBN connection types, such as Fibre to the Curb (FTTC), HFC cable, and fixed wireless. You can’t choose which technology type will be available at your location — that’s entirely up to NBN Co. — but you can discuss with your intended broadband provider which plan will work best with your property’s connection.