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Fastest internet providers in Australia: who delivers the best speeds?

The ACCC tracks 11 NBN providers. Here’s how they stack up and which is the fastest internet provider.

By Nathan Lawrence

May 23, 2023

5 min read

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If you don't feel like you can take a would-be provider's word for it when it says it offers the fastest internet in Australia, your local government watchdog is here to clear up any confusion.

Every quarter, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) releases a report as part of its Measuring Broadband Australia program. This ACCC NBN report includes data for 11 Australian providers (12 if you separate Dodo and iPrimus, which the ACCC records together), primarily offering insights into how NBN providers perform in terms of download and speeds during the internet’s nightly busy hours.

The report also breaks down daily outages, average download speeds, as well as more granular details such as webpage loading times, latency and even packet loss. In 2021, the ACCC also started tracking Fixed Wireless information.

The breakdown of information below is intended to help inform our picks for the best NBN providers, the best NBN plans and the best Fixed Wireless NBN plans, but it's going to be almost just as useful to anyone looking for the fastest NBN providers out there.

Of the 12 providers tracked by the ACCC as part of this program, we track 11 of them. At the time of updating this article, Launtel was the only NBN provider not in our comparison engine.

Which NBN providers are tracked by the ACCC for fastest speeds?

Not so long ago, the ACCC was tracking 10 providers, but Launtel was added to the comparison to boost the count to 11. Below is the full list of providers currently tracked by the ACCC as part of its reporting:

Below is a daily updating list of the most cheap NBN plans from the fastest internet providers tracked as part of the ACCC’s quarterly reports.

Fastest Best NBN providers speeds compared

According to the ACCC

The table below is a breakdown of the information available on the ACCC broadband performance data webpage, which offers a percentage breakdown of download speeds for the busy hours, busiest hour as well as upload speeds during the busy hours. You can use the data displayed below to get a pretty good idea of what the fastest internet providers look like.

The percentage changes, faster or slower, are relative to the Q4 December 2022 results.

Provider	Download speeds (busy hours, all)	Download speeds (busiest hour)	Upload speeds (busy hours)	View plans
Aussie Broadband	⬆ 96.5% (0.5% faster)	⬇94% (0.3% slower)	84% (no change)	View Plans
Dodo & iPrimus	⬆97.9%(1.0% faster)	⬇95.3% (0.3% slower)	⬇85.9% (0.8% slower)	View Plans
Exetel	⬆102.9% (1.4% faster)	⬆100.2% (0.9% faster)	⬆89.2% (0.5% faster)	View Plans
iiNet	⬇95.1% (1.3% slower)	⬇92.3% (3.1% slower)	⬇81.8% (1.3% slower)	View Plans
Launtel	(0.2% slower) ⬇103.1%	⬇97.8% (2.7% slower)	⬆88.6% (0.1% faster)
MyRepublic	⬇94.4% (3.1% slower)	⬆89.5% (3.3% faster)	⬇83.3% (4.8% slower)
Optus	⬇99.9% (1.8% slower)	⬇97.7% (2.3% slower)	⬆87.7% (0.8% faster)	View Plans
Superloop	⬆98.5% (0.6% faster)	⬆96.8% (1.1% faster)	⬆87.8% (0.8% faster)	View Plans
Telstra	⬇99.0% (0.8% slower)	⬇96.8% (1.0% slower)	⬇85.3% (1.2% slower)	View Plans
TPG	⬇97.0% (1.3% slower)	⬇92.3% (4.0% slower)	⬇81.4% (2.1% slower)	View Plans
Vodafone	⬆97.3% (1.2% faster)	⬆94.7% (1.8% faster)	⬆88.1% (2.2% faster)	View Plans

The last time we updated this page, Exetel was the clear winner for best download speeds during busy hours and the busiest hour each night. This time around, Exetel is still the winner which scored impressive above-100% scores for download speeds.

Launtel is second best but, because we don’t track that provider’s plans in our comparison engine, Optus slips into second and Telstra into third for the providers we do track. TPG has slipped since the last quarter’s data, with a 1.3% speed drop during busy hours and a 4% reduction in the nightly busiest hour. Here’s how the fastest NBN providers in our database rank in terms of nightly download speeds.

First: Exetel (102.9%/100.2% busy hours / busiest hour download speeds)
Second: Optus (99.9%/97.7% busy hours / busiest hour download speeds)
Third: Telstra (99%/96.8% busy hours / busiest hour download speeds)

Upload speeds still aren’t getting as much love from the fastest NBN providers as download speeds.

Not one NBN provider managed to get above 90% this quarter, even though Exetel is still the best with an 89.2% result (0.5% faster than the August 2022 results).

Launtel came in second, which means Vodafone get a promotion to second for our results, with 88.1% scores (2.2% faster than last quarter). Meanwhile, Superloop isn’t too far behind in our third slot, with an 87.8% score (0.5% slower than last quarter).

First: Exetel (89.2% upload speeds during busy hours)
Second: Vodafone (88.1% upload speeds during busy hours)
Third: Superloop (87.8% upload speeds during busy hours)

Beyond-100% download speeds

Wait a minute. How can NBN providers score about 100% values on their ACCC results? We’re glad you asked. Some NBN providers like Exetel use overprovisioning to give users a better chance of hitting self-reported typical evening download speeds. If you have an NBN 50 plan that has max 50Mbps download speeds, an overprovisioning NBN provider might allocate 52Mbps of download bandwidth (or similar) to help maintain those 50Mbps speeds.

Exetel's Fastest NBN plans

According to the ACCC

If you're looking for the fastest internet in Australia, Exetel has more than just numbers on its side. This provider offers NBN plans across a variety of speed tiers and competitive price points. Check out the widget below for a snapshot of this provider's fastest NBN plans.

Optus' Fastest NBN plans

According to the ACCC

Optus provides you with plenty of options when it comes to the fastest NBN plans, plus a few perks. Check out the widget below for a snapshot of this provider's fastest NBN plan on offer through Optus.

Telstra' Fastest NBN plans

According to the ACCC

Even if Telstra didn't top the ACCC's list this time around, it tends to fare fairly well when it comes to advertised typical speeds for its fastest NBN plans. Check out the widget below for a shortlist of the fastest NBN plans available through Telstra.

Superloop' Fastest NBN plans

According to the ACCC

Superloop isn't as high-profile as the providers above, but it's proved itself a strong contender in the eyes of the ACCC. Feeling a little out of the loop? Check out the widget below for a roundup of Superloops fastest NBN plans.

Vodafone' Fastest NBN plans

According to the ACCC

Vodafone are vying for the top spot when it comes to upload speeds this month. If that's got you curious to learn more about the fastest NBN plans available through the provider, check out the widget below.

Fastest NBN speeds by technology and plan type

According to the ACCC

The ACCC also tracks plan speeds delivered during the busy nightly hours in terms of four fixed-line technology types: FTTP, FTTN, HFC and FTTC. While not a lot has changed between Q1 and Q2, it’s almost exclusively slower across the board, except for a 0.2% speed improvement for FTTC services.

NBN technology	All services Q4	Max speed services Q4
FTTP	102.8%	103.0%
FTTN	91.2%	96.5%
HFC	102.4%	103.0%
FTTC	101.2%	101.2%
Other superfast networks	104.1%	104.1%

Meanwhile, the table below tracks the average NBN download speeds during the nightly busy hours in terms of NBN 25, NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans. Speeds are slower across the board compared to the first quarter of 2022, but not in a way that’s particularly alarming.

NBN technology	Q4 2022	Q3 2022	Q2 2022	Q1 2022
NBN 25	⬇25.5Mbps (0.2Mbps slower)	⬆25.7Mbps (0.6Mbps faster)	⬇25.1Mbps (0.3Mbps slower)	25.4Mbps
NBN 50	⬇48.5Mbps (0.6Mbps slower)	⬆49.1Mbps (0.6Mbps faster)	⬇48.5Mbps (0.2Mbps slower)	48.7Mbps
NBN 100	⬆97.1Mbps (0.5Mbps faster)	⬆96.6Mbps (2.4Mbps faster)	⬇94.2Mbps (1.4Mbps slower)	95.6Mbps

How do Ultrafast speeds perform in the ACCC's report?

Which is the fastest internet provider for ultrafast NBN?

The ACCC also tracks speeds for homes signed up to the source of the fastest of internet in Australia: NBN 1000 plans. These plans have a max download speed range of between 500Mbps and 990Mbps as well as max upload speeds of 50Mbps. You can see the averages in the table below.

NBN Ultrafast	NBN Ultrafast Q4 2022 speeds
Download speeds (all hours)	796.1Mbps
Download speeds (busy hours)	726.0Mbps
Upload speeds (all hours)	46.2Mbps
Upload speeds (busy hours)	45.9Mbps

As with NBN 25, NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans, speeds are slower for NBN Ultrafast connections. Both downloads and uploads have taken a hit compared to the Marc 2022 results, but nothing that you’d consider a major slowdown when you’re dealing with 700Mbps+ downloads and 44Mbps+ uploads.

Other performance data tracked by the ACCC report

While download speeds are a critical measurement for determining the value of an NBN plan, there are other factors that aren’t typically advertised by providers.

The ACCC also tracks average webpage loading times, and the table below shows how the fastest NBN providers rank (shorter times are better) against one another.

Provider	Webpage loading time Q4 2022	Webpage loading time Q3 2022	Webpage loading time Q2 2022	Webpage loading time Q1 2022
Aussie Broadband	2.6 seconds (down 0.3 seconds)	2.9 seconds (up 0.3 seconds)	2.6 seconds (down 0.3 seconds)	2.9 seconds
Dodo & iPrimus	2.6 seconds (down 0.4 seconds)	3 seconds (up 0.3 seconds)	2.7 seconds (down 0.1 seconds)	2.8 seconds
Exetel	2.5 seconds (down 0.3 seconds)	2.8 seconds (up 0.2 seconds)	2.6 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	2.8 seconds
iiNet	2.6 seconds (down 0.5 seconds)	3.1 seconds (up 0.3 seconds)	2.8 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	3.0 seconds
Launtel	3 seconds (down 0.4 seconds)	3.4 seconds (up 0.3 seconds)	3.1 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	3.3 seconds
MyRepublic	2.7 seconds (down 0.4 seconds)	3.1 seconds (up 0.1 seconds)	3 seconds (no change)	3.0 seconds
Optus	2.5 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	2.7 seconds (up 0.2 seconds)	2.5 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	2.7 seconds
Superloop	2.6 seconds (down 0.3 seconds)	2.9 seconds (up 0.2 seconds)	2.7 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	2.9 seconds
Telstra	2.5 seconds (down 0.4 seconds)	2.9 seconds (up 0.3 seconds)	2.6 seconds (down 0.1 seconds)	2.7 seconds
TPG	2.8 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	3 seconds (up 0.1 seconds)	2.9 seconds (down 0.2 seconds)	3.1 seconds
Vodafone	2.6 seconds (down 0.4 seconds)	3 seconds (up 0.1 seconds)	2.9 seconds (down 0.1 seconds)	3.0 seconds

First: Optus, Exetel, Telstra (2.5-second webpage loading times)
Second: Aussie Broadband, Dodo & iPrimus, Superloop, Vodafone (2.6-second webpage loading times)
Third: MyRepublic (2.7-second webpage loading times)

Admittedly, there’s not much difference in those webpage loading times to warrant a distinct advantage, but latency is very important for those gamers seeking a competitive edge online.

The table below charts the average latency time (in milliseconds) for the tracked providers (lower numbers are better). Anything under 10ms latency is faster than both the global and Australian fixed-line averages for latency (according to the Speedtest Global Index).

Provider	Latency Q4 2022	Latency Q3 2022	Latency Q2 2022	Latency Q1 2022
Aussie Broadband	10.1ms (0.8ms slower)	9.3ms (no changes)	9.3ms (0.3ms faster)	9.6ms
Dodo & iPrimus	10.8ms (0.6ms slower)	10.2ms (0.1ms slower)	10.1ms (0.5ms slower)	9.6ms
Exetel	8.9ms (0.1ms slower)	8.8ms (0.5ms slower)	8.3ms (0.1ms slower)	8.2ms
iiNet	11.9ms (2ms slower)	9.9ms (0.7ms faster)	10.6ms (1ms faster)	11.6ms
Launtel	9.1ms (1.3ms faster)	10.4ms (0.07ms faster)	11.1ms (0.9ms faster)	12ms
MyRepublic	23.3ms (0.2ms slower)	23.1ms (0.1ms faster)	23.2ms (2.6ms slower)	20.7ms
Optus	11.0ms (1.1ms slower)	9.9ms (0.4ms faster)	10.3ms (0.1ms faster)	10.4ms
Superloop	8.5ms (no change)	8.5ms (0.3ms faster)	8.8ms (0.1ms faster)	8.9ms
Telstra	11.6ms (1.1ms slower)	10.5ms (0.1ms slower)	10.4ms (0.1ms faster)	10.5ms
TPG	10.7ms (0.2ms slower)	10.5ms (0.3ms slower)	10.2ms (0.2ms faster)	10.4ms
Vodafone	10.8ms (2.8ms faster)	13.6ms (2.5ms faster)	16.1ms (no change)	16.1ms

First: Superloop (8.5ms latency)
Second: Exetel (8.9ms latency)
Third: Aussie Broadband (10.1ms latency)

Another variable that the ACCC tracks is the number of daily outages by NBN providers.

The table below shows the average number of daily outages that lasted longer than 30 seconds, not including any outages that occurred between midnight and 6:00am (which is when maintenance and upgrades tend to happen).

Provider	Average daily outages Q4 2022 (all)	Average daily outages Q3 2022 (all)	Average daily outages Q2 2022 (all)	Average daily outages Q1 2022 (all)
Aussie Broadband	0.33 (up by 0.10)	0.23 (down by 0.19)	0.42 (up by 0.07)	0.35
Dodo & iPrimus	0.39 (up by 0.17)	0.22 (down by 0.42)	0.64 (up by 0.25)	0.39
Exetel	0.21 (down by 0.15)	0.36 (up by 0.16)	0.2 (no change)	0.2
iiNet	0.19 (up by 0.03)	0.16 (no change)	0.16 (down by 0.05)	0.21
Launtel	0.53 (up by 0.22)	0.31 (down by 0.19)	0.5 (down by 0.11)	0.61
MyRepublic	0.35 (up by 0.06)	0.29 (down by 0.14)	0.43 (up by 0.08)	0.35
Optus	0.19 (up by 0.05)	0.14 (down by 0.22)	0.36 (up by 0.04)	0.32
Superloop	0.38 (up by 0.02)	0.36 (down by 0.27)	0.63 (up by 0.29)	0.34
Telstra	0.39 (up by 0.15)	0.24 (up by 0.02)	0.22 (down by 0.01)	0.23
TPG	0.40 (up by 0.01)	0.39 (up by 0.21)	0.18 (down by 0.22)	0.4
Vodafone	0.29 (down by 0.24)	0.53 (up by 0.08)	0.45 (up by 0.03)	0.42

As of the December 2022 data, Vodafone is in the third spot and not too far behind the fewest outages from Exetel. Optus and iiNet are in the first spot.

First: Optus and iiNet (0.19 all daily outages)
Second: Exetel (0.21 all daily outages)
Third: Vodafone (0.29 all daily outages)

Written by

Nathan Lawrence

Nathan Lawrence has been banging out passionate tech and gaming words for more than 11 years. These days, you can find his work on outlets like IGN, STACK, Fandom, Red Bull and AusGamers. Nathan adores PC gaming and the proof of his first-person-shooter prowess is at the top of a Battlefield V scoreboard.