If you're looking for a premium, feature-packed internet plan, Telstra has you covered. It boasts reliable speeds, a strong brand reputation and a free home phone line with unlimited calls on all NBN plans.
But this comes at a price as Telstra's plans are some of the most expensive around.
While Telstra's NBN plans are its core internet product, the telco giant also offers home wireless broadband and data SIMs too.
Telstra is Australia's largest telecommunications and technology company, offering a full range of communications services.
"I've been a Telstra internet customer for 5 years and I very rarely have an issue with speed or connectivity. It's so reliable and holds up to the demands of a busy family of 5 with two adults working from home plus tween/teenage children with high data usage. I've never had a surprise bill. The My Telstra app is a great user experience and I love that every time I pay my bill I accumulate Telstra Plus Member points. I've purchased an iron and Woolworths gift voucher this year using points."
Based on Telstra NBN scores in Finder's 2024 Customer Satisfaction Awards.
Telstra's plans come with the kind of bells and whistles you expect from a premium provider.
This includes a modem with 4G back-up (only a handful of providers offer this), included phone line with free calls to Australian numbers and maximum speeds across almost all its NBN plans.
However, this comes at a cost as Telstra's NBN plans are usually among the most expensive in their respective speed tiers according to the plans in Finder's database.
Telstra also doesn't charge any set-up fees for standard installation if you sign up online.
Telstra's 5G home internet plan uses its 5G network and promises average download speeds of 336Mbps, much faster than its NBN 100 or NBN 250 plans.
This is great value, so long as you can get consistent speeds. This isn't always guaranteed when using a mobile network for your internet connection.
It has a data cap of 1000GB, whereas other providers offer unlimited data on their home wireless plans. It's still a generous allowance though, as Telstra believes it will allow you to stream HD videos for 350 hours, which works out to be around 11 hours a day during a month.
If you exceed your 1000GB for the month, your download speed will be slowed to 25Mbps and your upload speed to 5Mbps.
Unlike most mobile broadband providers that offer under 200GB a month, Telstra is one of only a few providers in Finder's database that offers big data caps on its Upfront plans of up to 400GB.
These plans come with 5G access too, making them strong choices for portable and fast data.
If you go over your data allowance before the month is out, your speed will be capped at 1.5Mbps.
If you want prepaid mobile broadband, Telstra has that too, but the speed is capped on some plans at 150Mbps.
Telstra also has long expiry data plans which work out a little cheaper than its 28-day prepaid plans, though its Upfront data plans still present the best value overall.
Telstra offers the option to buy a portable modem along with your data plan, which you can pay off in 12-, 24- or 36-month instalments. Some are just the size of a small dongle to help you get internet on the go.
In September 2024, Telstra came second (out of 12 providers) in the ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia report. It delivered maximum speeds 102.3% of the time during the busy hours of the day (7pm–11pm), which was Telstra's best ever result in the report.
With Telstra's score of over 100%, that means it always delivers the advertised speeds on its plans during busy hours of the day.
Telstra has ranked consistently in the top 4 in these reports since December 2020, meaning it's one of the more reliable providers out there when it comes to speed.
Telstra makes it easy to get in touch with its support team. You're able to:
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) covers complaints data from phone and internet customers. In the 2023 Annual Report for the financial year ending June 2023, Telstra:
Telstra's plans come with a bunch of bonus features that help it stand out.
All Telstra NBN plans come with the Telstra Smart Modem 3.
If there's an NBN outage in your area, you'll be switched over to 4G mobile data as a back-up within a few minutes. The speed is capped at a maximum of 25Mbps download and 5Mbps upload. You also need to be in a 4G coverage area.
If you're a new Telstra home internet customer and aren't happy with your service within the first 30 days, you can request a full refund of any fees you've paid and cancel the connection with no obligations.
Telstra is one of the few providers that not only give a home phone line with all NBN plans, but also provide you with unlimited local and national calls at no extra cost. You also get 30 minutes of standard calls overseas.
Telstra customers get benefits and earn Telstra Plus reward points whenever they pay their bill. These points can be used towards discounted tech, appliances, concert tickets and more.
As the NBN 50 plan is the most popular internet plan in Australia, Finder has gathered together some of the major providers so you can see how Telstra compares to them on this speed tier.
| Provider | Typical evening speed | Price | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telstra | 50Mbps | $105/month | |
| TPG | 50Mbps | $79.99/month | |
| Optus | 50Mbps | $89/month | |
| AGL | 50Mbps | $94/month | |
| iiNet | 50Mbps | $84.99/month | |
| Aussie Broadband | 49Mbps | $89/month | |
| Belong | 50Mbps | $85/month | |
| Tangerine | 50Mbps | $82.90/month |
If you've settled on a Telstra plan that suits you, you just need to go to Telstra's website to enter your address to finalise your purchase. This will tell you if the plan you want is available at your address.
What if I'm moving house?
If you're already a Telstra customer, you can book a move and it'll handle it all for you. Telstra advises that if you book your move before 1pm Monday to Friday, you'll get your service connected within 2 business days.
You should give your current provider some warning in case there's a notice period for cancelling your old service. You don't want to get stuck paying for 2 services. That's even though Telstra says it will notify your old provider if you switch.
For more details on the process, check our guide to switching broadband providers.
Think your Telstra Internet is running slow? Run a quick speed test to make sure you're getting the speed you've paid for.
Be online 24/7, wherever you are in Australia with a Telstra mobile broadband plan. Compare the different plan options now.
My parents received a letter from NBN saying that they have to ring them to get the NBN connected, as it has rolled out in
there area. My parents are very old and only have a home line rental. Do they still have to ring NBN to get reconnected?
Hi Brenda,
Thank you for your inquiry.
If your parents were informed by their phone line service provider that they need to move their home phone line to the NBN network, it would be advisable to follow the notice. It’s important to get switched over before the cutoff date as you run the risk of losing your home phone number if you leave it as it is. The old network will soon be switched off and will be replaced by the NBN network but it will still offer similar services.
If you wish to learn more, our NBN FAQs may help.
Cheers,
Jason