NBN Sky Muster satellite: plans, speeds and what's changing

How Sky Muster works

nbn launched its first Sky Muster satellite on 1 October 2015 and Sky Muster II on 6 October 2016. Both sit in geostationary orbit, about 36,000 km above the equator. At your home, nbn installs a satellite dish outside, and an nbn modem, power pack and wall outlet inside. Your router or computer connects to the nbn modem.

The distance is Sky Muster's main limitation. nbn describes each request as a round trip of about 72,000 km, which adds delay (latency) that you notice in video calls and online games, even when download speeds are good.

Sky Muster plans and speeds

There are two families of Sky Muster plan: standard Sky Muster, with a monthly data allowance, and Sky Muster Plus Premium, with uncapped data. nbn withdrew the older capped Sky Muster Plus plans on 1 March 2025.

How much does Sky Muster cost?

Providers set Sky Muster prices, so they vary. We don't quote them because they change, but you can compare on the same points as any NBN plan: the tier (Plus Premium entry, mid or high), the monthly price, any data or fair-use terms on standard Sky Muster plans, installation, and the modem.

nbn's list of Sky Muster providers is on its website. Specialist regional providers such as SkyMesh sell Sky Muster alongside larger brands; SkyMesh is a provider, not the network, so "SkyMesh or Sky Muster" isn't a choice between two services.

The move to nbn LEO satellites

On 5 August 2025 nbn announced it had selected Amazon's Project Kuiper (renamed Amazon Leo in November 2025) to deliver a low-earth-orbit satellite service. At the time nbn said Amazon planned to launch in Australia from the middle of 2026; its update of 27 August 2026 says eligible customers can generally expect to start moving to nbn LEO from around mid-2027.

nbn says the launch plans will have uncapped data and speeds of up to 50/10 Mbps and up to 100/20 Mbps. Existing Sky Muster services are expected to keep working while customers move, and nbn says it will keep operating the two Sky Muster satellites until the transition is done; they are expected to remain viable until about 2032.

If you are on Sky Muster now, you don't need to do anything yet. nbn and your provider will tell you when LEO is available at your address.

Sky Muster vs Starlink

The ACCC's first satellite broadband report, in December 2024, found Starlink outperformed Sky Muster on both speed and latency; Starlink averaged 165.5 Mbps in busy hours with latency of about 30 ms. Sky Muster Plus Premium's typical busy-period speeds are 21 to 63 Mbps depending on the tier, and its latency is much higher because of the geostationary orbit.

Sky Muster still has points in its favour: nbn installs the equipment, you buy it from an NBN provider with Australian support, and Plus Premium data is uncapped. Starlink needs you to buy or rent the kit and install it with a clear view of the sky. With nbn LEO promising speeds of up to 100/20 Mbps, some Sky Muster customers may prefer to wait for the transition.

Sky Muster vs Fixed Wireless

If your address can get nbn Fixed Wireless, it is generally the better choice: much lower latency, and tiers of up to 400 Mbps where eligible. The 2024 Fixed Wireless upgrade gave more than 120,000 premises that were previously on satellite access to Fixed Wireless for the first time, so it is worth rechecking your address on nbn's address checker. See our Fixed Wireless guide.

Who can get Sky Muster, and how to connect

Sky Muster is for premises nbn has designated for satellite, because a fixed line or Fixed Wireless isn't available there. nbn said in August 2025 that there were more than 300,000 premises within its satellite footprint. nbn's address checker shows whether your address is a satellite premises.

To connect, choose a provider from nbn's list of Sky Muster providers and order a plan. An nbn installer then fits the dish and the indoor equipment; your provider will confirm the appointment and tell you whether it charges any setup fee.

Getting the most from Sky Muster

Choose the Plus Premium tier that matches your household, since data is uncapped on all three. Keep the dish's view of the sky clear of new tree growth. For video calls, close other uploads and downloads first; the upload speed on Sky Muster is limited. And because latency is built in, fast-paced online games will feel laggy whatever the download speed.