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5G Home Internet Providers in Australia

Get your home internet G’d up.

Alex Choros
Sep 04, 2023
Icon Time To Read4 min read

5G home internet is becoming an increasingly viable alternative to the NBN. While not everyone can get 5G yet, 5G internet is already available for many Australians.

Depending on which provider you go with, 5G home internet can be a more affordable alternative to the NBN with similar speeds, or offer much faster speeds for a similar price. 

Before we start, here's a look at some cheap 5G home internet plans from our database. 

5G Home Internet providers in Australia

There's a small number of providers selling 5G home internet in Australia, including some familiar names, as well as a few smaller providers. 

Here’s the full list of 5G home Internet providers that we track in our comparison engine:

  • Telstra
  • Optus
  • Vodafone
  • TPG (Vodafone 5G network)
  • iiNet (Vodafone 5G network)
  • Internode (Vodafone 5G network)
  • SpinTel (Optus 5G network) 
  • Yomojo (Optus 5G network)

Telstra 5G Home Internet

Telstra has a single 5G home internet plan with a 1TB allowance. If you go over, speeds are capped at 25Mbps for the rest of the month.

Telstra says users can expect 378Mbps average download speeds, but that speeds can range between 50Mbps and 600Mbps. 

Telstra's 5G home internet plan is contract-free. You'll just need to return your modem if you leave if your first two years. Otherwise, you'll have to pay a hardware fee. 

Optus 5G Home Internet

Optus has two 5G home internet plans.

The first, more affordable option has speeds capped to 100Mbps, making it similar to an NBN 100 plan. Optus says you can expect typical evening speeds of 83Mbps during busy hours. 

Alternatively, you can opt for a more expensive uncapped "Entertainer" plan, where speeds can go as fast as network conditions allow. Optus reports typical evening speeds of 225Mbps for this plan. 

Optus' uncapped "Entertainer" plan also includes a standard Netflix subscription at no extra cost. 

Both these plans are contract-free, but you'll need to pay out your modem if you leave in your first three years. This is equivalent to $16 for each month left in your three-year term. 

Vodafone 5G Home Internet

Vodafone has two 5G internet plans right now. 

The first is capped to speeds of 50Mbps, while the second more expensive option is capped to 100Mbps. This makes them pretty similar to NBN plans, and in both cases, they're cheaper than Vodafone's equivalent NBN options. 

Existing Vodafone mobile customers can save a further $5 per month on any Vodafone 5G home internet plan. 

Vodafone 5G home internet plans are contract-free. You'll just need to return your modem if you leave within the first three years. If you don't, you'll need to pay a modem fee. 

TPG 5G Home Internet

Like Vodafone, TPG has two 5G home internet plans. These are structured the same way: there's a cheaper 50Mbps option, or a slightly more expensive 100Mbps option. 

TPG doesn't disclose typical evening speeds for these plans, so we'd expect them to be a bit slower during peak hours. 

These plans are contract-free, but once again, you'll need to return your modem if you leave in your first three years. Otherwise, there's a non-return fee. 

TPG 5G home internet is powered by the Vodafone network.

iiNet 5G Home Internet

iiNet's offering is identical to what you'll find on TPG. A 50Mbps plan and a 100Mbps plan, and you'll need to return your modem if you leave within the first 36 months. 

iiNet 5G home internet is powered by the Vodafone network.

Internode 5G Home Internet

It's the same story with Internode. You can pick from the same 50Mbps and 100Mbps plan, with the same caveat of needing to return your modem if you leave in your first three years.

Internode 5G home internet is powered by the Vodafone network.

Yomojo 5G Home Internet

Little old Yomojo also three 5G home internet plans, all of which are powered by the Optus network but each of which offers a different set of typical download and upload speeds.

The cheapest of these plans if priced at $69.90 per month and promises typical download speeds of up to 43Mpbs (capping out at 50Mbps) and typical upload speeds of up to 50Mbps. In other words, it's roughly on-par with an NBN 50 plan.

Yomojo's middle plan promises faster speeds of up to 100Mpbs with typical speeds of around 75Mbps. It's a few dollars more expensive though, clocking in at $75.90 per month, and comes with typical upload speeds of just 40Mbps.

Lastly, there's the Yomojo 5G Home Max plan. This top-of-the-line option costs you $95.90 per month, but boasts uncapped typical download speeds of up to 225Mpbs and upload speeds of up to 100Mbps.

Of course, there is one big difference between these plans and the other 5G Home Internet options in the mix. Where other providers will in a modem free of charge or with the expectation that you'll either return or pay off the cost over time, Yomojo expects you to pay an extra $820 upfront.

SpinTel 5G Home Internet

SpinTel also two 5G home internet plans, but they're powered by the Optus network. As such, they're structured similarly to Optus' plans. 

You can pick between a more affordable option capped to 100Mbps, or a more expensive uncapped option with typical evening speeds of 225Mbps. 

If you cancel your SpinTel plan, you'll need to return the modem - no matter how long you've been with the telco.

Is 5G Home Internet available in my area?

The easiest way to see if 5G home internet is available in your area is to enter your address on a participating provider’s website. This will tell you whether you're in a coverage area, and if the network has enough capacity in the area. 

Telstra, for example, will only sell a select number of 5G internet plans per postcode, to avoid congestion. 

You can also use the interactive map below as a guide for 5G availability in your area. Ensure the 5G box is ticked, then cycle between Optus, Telstra and Vodafone networks to see what’s available at your home address.

How fast is 5G home internet?

5G home internet speeds will depend on your plan. For example, if you get a plan capped to 50Mbps or 100Mbps, you'll be limited to those speeds. 

On the other hand, if you get an uncapped plan from Telstra or Optus, speeds can exceed 200Mbps. In our testing, we've seen 5G home internet speeds over 400Mbps on Telstra.

FAQ

A 5G home internet connection can replace individual NBN connections, but it won't replace the need for the NBN. 

Fixed line networks like the NBN have a much larger capacity than wireless networks like 5G, and as such, are less prone to issues like congestion. 

5G home internet plans start at around $60 per month and can be as expensive as $100 per month, depending on speed and provider.

5G home internet speeds should be fast enough for most homes. The one trade-off you'll make is latency. 5G home internet plans tend to have a latency of around 20ms, compared to 10ms on a typical NBN plan. This can impact gamers, for example.

All 5G home internet plans include a 5G modem. In most cases, the modem won't cost you anything, you'll just need to return it if you leave. 

Optus is the main exception to this, and you'll pay a hardware fee if you leave in your first three years.

Alex Choros
Written by
Alex Choros is the Group Reviews Editor for Clearlink Australia's local websites - Reviews.org, Safewise, and WhistleOut - and the Managing Editor for WhistleOut Australia. He's been writing about consumer technology for over eight years and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. He also contributes to Gizmodo and Lifehacker, and makes regular appearances on 2GB. Outside of tech, Alex loves long hikes, red wine, and death metal.

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