What are typical evening speeds? (And why they matter)

What is a typical evening speed?

As per Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) rules, internet service providers are expected to display typical evening speeds on their NBN plans.

These indicate how fast a user can expect their internet connection to be during the busiest hours of the day, which is 7pm–11pm.

It's when most people are online around the same time carrying out activities such as streaming, gaming or browsing. This is also when you might experience network congestion, or slow internet, similar to a traffic jam on the road.

Typical evening speed is different to an NBN speed tier, which is essentially the maximum speed you can expect on a particular plan.

What are good typical evening speeds?

You’ll want to aim for speeds as close as possible to the maximum for each NBN speed tier.

For instance, an NBN 50 plan offers up to 50Mbps download speeds, so you’ll want a plan that gives you typical evening speeds around 50Mbps, or close to it.

Here’s a quick look at the 6 major fixed-line NBN speed tiers, along with the average typical evening speeds we’ve found, plus the minimum and maximum speeds available across all the plans in our database.

Will you always get advertised typical evening speeds?

There’s a chance your internet connection won’t consistently achieve a provider’s advertised typical evening speed – at least not 100% of the time.

Each quarter, the ACCC releases its Measuring Broadband Australia report which measures the reliability of the top 12 broadband providers in the country.

As part of the report, it checks how providers fare during the peak hours of the day.

You can read our guide for the most up-to-date information of which providers are topping the charts at any given time.

Which NBN providers have the fastest typical evening speeds?

There are heaps of NBN providers on Finder that offer the maximum available typical evening speeds across the majority of speed tiers.

You’ll find the likes of Southern Phone, Telstra, SpinTel, Exetel and Optus advertising solid speeds across some of the more popular speed tiers such as NBN 50 and NBN 100.

Compare NBN plans on Finder to spot exactly which providers have the fastest speeds at any given time.

Finder survey: How many Australians understand typical evening speed?

Frequently asked questions

• Is typical evening speed the same as an average speed?

  Yes, in a sense. The typical evening speed is the average speed you can expect to see during the busiest period of the day. In general, an average speed can be calculated over a shorter or longer period of time, but a typical evening speed reduces this window to between 7pm and 11pm each day.

  If you want to know more about average speeds you can see a breakdown by state.

• What is considered a good typical evening speed?

  A good typical evening speed is one that closely matches the maximum speed available on a specific plan.

  For example, with NBN 50, you’d want to see speeds near 50Mbps during peak usage times to ensure a smooth experience.

  You can check how your connection holds up by running an internet speed test.

• What is the difference between download and upload speeds?

  Download speeds measure how long it takes for your computer to receive information from the web, while upload speeds are a measure of how long it takes to send that information.

  Download speeds are quoted more frequently and are often higher than upload speeds.

• What if my plan isn't reaching its advertised typical evening speeds?

  Your plan may not reach its advertised typical evening speed for a range of reasons including hardware issues.

  If your plan isn't reaching its advertised typical evening speed, you can contact your provider for an explanation. It may be able to help resolve the issue.

  In a case where you find your provider unwilling to help, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsmam (TIO). The TIO can escalate the situation and provide dispute resolution to help you get things sorted with your telco.

  You may also want to compare NBN plans and switch to a new provider that may offer a more reliable connection.

Written by

Mariam Gabaji

Editor I Tech and utilities expert

Mariam Gabaji is an editor and tech and utilities expert at Finder with 12+ years of experience as a journalist. She's committed to helping households cut through the industry jargon and save money on their bills. Her expertise is often featured in media including the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, 7News, A Current Affair, The Guardian, SBS and Money Magazine. See full bio

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Mariam has written 305 Finder guides across topics including:

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