NBN 100 could become the new minimum speed

A new government proposal might quadruple the minimum speed offered by broadband providers in Australia.

Under the national Telecommunications Act 1997, statutory infrastructure providers (SIPs) like NBN Co have an obligation to allow retail providers to supply broadband services with a minimum peak download speed of 25Mbps and upload speed of 5Mbps.

However, the proposal suggests this legislative arrangement has been outpaced by the growing capacity of Australia's overall network capabilities. Pointing to figures released by NBN Co back in January 2025, it noted the average household now consumes 1100GB per month. This figure is a twenty-seven fold increase on the 40GB per month seen in 2015.

In response to these trends, the federal government is now looking to amend the legislative requirements so statutory infrastructure providers must enable retail broadband services with peak download speeds of at least 100 Mbps. A similar increase to upload speeds is also being considered, which would bring the minimum from 5Mbps to 20Mbps.

If the proposal is successful, the change will apply to both NBN Co and smaller statutory infrastructure providers in or entering the Australian broadband market.

Even so, it's worth clarifying this change doesn't necessarily mean slower speed tiers like NBN 25 and NBN 50 would disappear overnight.

"SIPs will continue to be able to offer slower speeds plans at a lower cost, which provide consumer choice and the option of a  broadband connection that best suits consumers’ needs," the proposal noted.

At this stage, the federal government is seeking comments from consumers, stakeholders and other interested parties on the changes.