The type of internet connection you have will affect the potential maximum upload and download speeds you can receive. Find out more about the speeds on nbn Home Internet, 5G Home Internet, 4G Home Internet and more.
1. nbn access methods
Depending on where you live, there are up to five different ways to access the nbn. Find out what’s available to you.
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)
A fibre cable connects the nbn directly to your premises.
With FTTP, distance from an exchange is not important like with copper technologies such as ADSL, Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Basement (FTTB). Customers are not grouped into nodes like cable networks.
nbn Fibre also offers the option to add a Speed Pack to increase your maximum speed. However, your speeds can still be slowed in certain circumstances.
Fibre to the Node (FTTN)
A fibre cable connects to your street corner and gets fibre technology closer to your home or business.
A fibre connection all the way up to a street corner reduces the effect extreme heat or rain has on your internet connection. This technology still uses copper for the last few meters to connect your home or business, but usually provides more reliable speeds than ADSL2+ broadband. Like nbn Fibre you can add a Speed Pack to increase your maximum speed. Speeds may vary due to outside factors such as temperature, weather and distance from node.
Fibre to the Building (FTTB)
A fibre cable connects to your building or basement then a copper line the rest of the way.
A fibre connection to your building or basement reduces the impact of extreme heat or rain on your internet connection. This type of connection still use copper for the last few meters to your home or business, but usually provides more reliable speeds than ADSL2+ broadband. Like nbn Fibre you can add a Speed Pack to increase your maximum speed. Speeds may vary due to outside factors such as temperature, weather and distance from node.
nbn Cable
A cable connection that is capable of utilising existing hardware in and outside your home.
Cable, or HFC, can make use of existing connections in your home in order to connect to nbn. A cable line will run from the nearest available node to your premises and connect to a PCD (Premises Cable Device) that will need to be installed. A Connection Box and splitter may also need to be installed inside your home, depending on the existing hardware available. If you have previously had a cable connection to your premises, you may be able to install the Connection Box yourself.
Fibre to the Curb (FTTC)
nbn Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) runs fibre cables to a Distribution Point Unit underground near your premises, then uses an existing copper connection for the last stretch. A technician may need access to your premises to install an nbn Connection Device.
| Plan Name | Typical Busy Period Speeds (7pm-11pm)* | Range of Download Speeds Experienced | Satisfaction Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optus Plus Everyday 5G | 50/11Mbps* (As at February 2026) | Customers may experience between 40Mbps - 50Mbps | Backed by our 40Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee^ |
| Optus Plus Everyday Fast 5G | 93/15Mbps* (As at October 2026) | Customers may experience between 50Mbps - 100Mbps | Backed by our 50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee^ |
| Optus Plus Entertainer Superfast 5G |
230/20Mbps* (As at February 2026) |
Customers may experience between 50Mbps - 500Mbps+** | Backed by our 50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee^ |
5G Internet
What is 5G Internet?
5G is the 5th generation of mobile networks that delivers increased speed when compared to 4G when you are in an area with a good 5G signal. Our 5G Internet product is designed to access the 5G network using our Optus Ultra WiFi 5G Modem. This is a great way to access reliable, high speed internet in your home or office. ^ If at any time during the term of your plan, you’re not satisfied that you are getting download speeds of at least 40 Mbps on the Optus Plus Everyday 5G plan or 50Mbps on the Optus Plus Everyday Fast 5G or Optus Plus Superfast Entertainer 5G plan, you’re backed by the Satisfaction Guarantee applicable to your 5G plan. Learn more
*What speeds can I expect on 5G Internet?
The Typical Busy Period Speeds advertised are the typical expected download and upload speeds experienced between 7pm and 11pm, which is the busy time for residential consumer Internet traffic (based on a representative group of customers). The actual speed you will experience at any given time will vary depending on a number of factors including network (i.e., signal, proximity, line of sight, or congestion), location (i.e., modem placement, distance from the Optus 5G tower, geography, obstructions), and other factors (such as weather, hardware, software). Depending on which 5G Internet plan you’re on, you are covered by our 40Mbps or 50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee.
4G Internet
4G Internet is an alternative option to get connected to the internet at your address. Our 4G Internet plan offers unlimited data, and, unlike other internet options, doesn’t require a phone line or professional installation. Data speeds for the 4G Internet Service are variable and for basic internet connectivity. Your 4G Internet Service speeds may differ from mobile and mobile broadband speeds on our 4G network.
| Download | Up to 25Mbps |
|---|---|
| Upload | Up to 8Mbps |
| Typical Busy Period Speeds (7pm-11pm)* | 15/4Mbps* (As at October 2026) |
What speeds can I expect on 4G Internet?
The Typical Busy Period Speeds advertised are the typical expected download and upload speeds experienced between 7pm and 11pm, which is the busy time for residential consumer Internet traffic (based on a representative group of customers).
The actual speed you will experience at any given time will vary depending on a number of factors including network (i.e., signal, proximity, line of sight, or congestion), location (i.e., modem placement, distance from the Optus 4G tower, geography, obstructions), and other factors (such as weather, hardware, software, etc.). Customers on eligible 4G Internet plans are covered by the Optus Coverage Commitment.
A serviceability check is required to ensure you’ll receive a good experience with 4G Internet at your address.
Home Wireless Broadband
Our Home Wireless Broadband plans are no longer available and the below information does not apply to our new plans. Please see our latest 4G Internet instead.
Whilst the Home Wireless Broadband service uses our 4G network, it is designed to be used in the home and its data speeds are different to mobile and mobile broadband speeds on our 4G network. In metropolitan areas where there is 2300 MHz coverage at your nominated address, download and upload speeds of up to 12/1 Mbps are available. If 2300 MHz coverage is not available at your nominated address, download and upload speeds of up to 5/1 Mbps are available.
Your actual speed will depend on a number of factors including congestion, location, local conditions, hardware, software and general internet traffic.
Speed Potential (Download/Upload)
| 2300 MHz Areas | Up to 12 Mbps / Up to 1 Mbps |
|---|---|
| Other Areas | Up to 5 Mbps / Up to 1 Mbps |
The difference between megabits and megabytes
You’ve probably encountered both megabits (Mbps) and megabytes (MB) before in relation to internet usage. They sound similar, but they’re actually different measurements.
Megabits per second (Mbps) is the speed of your internet connection while megabytes (MB) is the size of a file. 8 bits actually equals 1 byte, so if you downloaded a 100 MB file at 100Mbps it would actually take 8 seconds.
Just remember to watch out for the lower case "b" and the capital "B" to recognise if we're talking bits (speed) or Bytes (size).
Discover which plan is right for you
Optus internet and broadband plans include everything you need: unlimited data, a choice of speed packs (on the nbn) and more, plus a range of optional entertainment extras like Optus Sport and Fetch.
Explore our great value plans today.
WiFi
In most instances a connection over WiFi will be slower than if you were connected physically to your modem with a cable, particularly if there is a wall in the way or there are multiple users on the same WiFi network. WiFi performance can also be impacted by interference from surrounding devices and nearby users on the same channel.
Congestion prioritisation
If there is a lot of traffic (lots of people downloading at the one time) your internet speed at home can be impacted, like congestion on a busy road.
We’re constantly building more bandwidth (like adding lanes on a busy road) into all our networks to deliver a better experience in those peak times.
We also prioritise some content over others - such as VoIP (voice over internet protocol) voice calls - to make sure the important stuff goes first, like a bus lane on a freeway.
Far End Capability
We can only get the data to you as fast as the server on the other end can get it to us! So if you’re downloading from, for example, a small website hosted in someone’s garage which is congested, or has only a small upload capacity, it’s not going to be as quick as a major website with the right upload capacity for its traffic.
Hardware and Software
Some old equipment is more like a push bike than a Ferrari, particularly when impacted with a virus or malware. Make sure your computer is free of viruses and malware by using reputable security products.
Overseas content
Content you download at home that comes from overseas can be slower than domestic content due to congestion on international pipes (the cables running on the ocean floor connecting Australia to the rest of the world).
However, we’re working hard to bring the content you want locally and a huge amount of “overseas content” is actually being distributed from local servers, making it super-quick.