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nbn Fixed Wireless is part of the NBN. Instead of a cable, it uses hybrid 4G/5G technology to send data by radio from an nbn tower to an antenna fixed to your roof. It serves around 800,000 premises, mostly in regional areas, and after a $750 million upgrade finished in 2024, eligible premises can order Fixed Wireless Home Fast (up to 250 Mbps) and Fixed Wireless Superfast (up to 400 Mbps).
You buy Fixed Wireless the same way as any NBN plan: from a provider that sells it at your address. This page explains how it works, the current tiers and what they deliver in the evening, how to choose a plan, and how Fixed Wireless compares with Sky Muster, Starlink and 5G home internet.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
An nbn technician mounts an outdoor antenna on your home, pointed at a nearby nbn tower, and installs an nbn connection box inside. Your modem or router plugs into the connection box. Unlike a mobile phone, the antenna is fixed and dedicated to the NBN, and each tower serves a set area rather than whoever happens to pass by.
Because it is a radio link, Fixed Wireless shares capacity between the homes connected to each tower. That is why nbn publishes separate "peak hour" wholesale speeds for the faster tiers, and why your evening speed can differ from your daytime speed.
nbn upgraded the Fixed Wireless network through a $750 million investment, rolled out in three phases that finished in June, October and December 2024. It extended the range of towers from 14 km to up to 29 km where possible, gave more than 120,000 premises that were previously on satellite access to Fixed Wireless for the first time, and grew the Fixed Wireless coverage area from about 220,000 to 345,000 square kilometres.
The upgrade also added two faster tiers, Fixed Wireless Home Fast and Fixed Wireless Superfast, for eligible premises, and lifted Fixed Wireless Plus from up to 75/10 Mbps to up to 100/20 Mbps.
nbn publishes both a potential maximum speed and a maximum wholesale speed in the peak hour for its faster Fixed Wireless tiers. The peak-hour figure is the more useful guide to your evenings.
| Tier | Potential download / upload | Maximum wholesale peak hour | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Wireless Superfast | Up to 400 / 10–40 | 357/25 | Eligible premises only |
| Fixed Wireless Home Fast | Up to 250 / 8–20 | 187/15 | Eligible premises only |
| Fixed Wireless Plus | Up to 100 / 20 | 100/14 | Fixed Wireless footprint |
| Fixed Wireless Basic II | 25/5 | Not published | Fixed Wireless footprint |
| Fixed Wireless Basic I | 12/1 | Not published | Fixed Wireless footprint |
The ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia program tested Fixed Wireless before it ended in June 2026. Its final report measured Fixed Wireless Home Fast services at an average of 160.5 Mbps download and 12.6 Mbps upload in busy hours. That is well below the tier's 250 Mbps potential but still faster than most copper NBN connections can manage.
The ACCC extended its speed advertising guidance to Fixed Wireless in 2019, so providers should show a typical busy-hour speed for their Fixed Wireless plans as they do for fixed-line plans. Compare that figure between providers, and ask about the tower serving your address if your neighbours report slow evenings.
Yes. Fixed Wireless is one of nbn's own access technologies, sold through the same providers under the same rules as fixed-line NBN plans. It is not the same as 5G home internet from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, which runs over their mobile networks and is not part of the NBN. You can't choose Fixed Wireless over a fixed line; nbn sets the technology for each address, and its address checker will tell you what yours is.
Fewer providers sell Fixed Wireless than fixed-line NBN, and not all of them offer the Home Fast and Superfast tiers. nbn keeps a list of Fixed Wireless providers on its website. Once you have a shortlist, compare them on the same points as any NBN plan:
If you can get Fixed Wireless, it is usually a better experience than nbn's Sky Muster satellite: the signal travels a few kilometres to a tower rather than tens of thousands of kilometres to a geostationary satellite, so it has far less delay. The 2024 upgrade gave more than 120,000 premises that were on satellite access to Fixed Wireless.
Against Starlink, the comparison is closer and depends on your address. Starlink's low-orbit satellites also have low delay and can be fast, but you buy or rent the dish, the service is sold on Starlink's own terms, and it needs a clear view of the sky. 5G home internet is an option only where a mobile network sells it at your address, so check eligibility with the providers. Testing a no-lock-in plan is the most reliable way to find out.
For most regional homes, yes. After the 2024 upgrade, eligible premises can get up to 250 Mbps (Home Fast) or 400 Mbps (Superfast), and the ACCC measured Home Fast at an average of 160.5 Mbps download in busy hours. It has much less delay than geostationary satellite, although evening speeds can dip on busy towers.
Yes. It is one of nbn's own access technologies, sold by NBN providers like any other NBN plan. It is different from 5G home internet, which uses a mobile network.
It depends on the address. Fixed Wireless is part of the NBN, needs no dish purchase and is sold by many providers; Starlink can be fast with low delay but needs a clear view of the sky and is sold on Starlink's terms. Compare the typical busy-hour speed of Fixed Wireless plans at your address with Starlink's own stated speeds, and try a no-lock-in plan first. See Starlink in Australia.
The one on the fastest tier your address can get and your budget allows, from a provider with a good typical busy-hour speed and support you trust. Not every provider offers every Fixed Wireless tier, so start from nbn's Fixed Wireless provider list.
