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nbn sells eight fixed-line speed tiers, from Home Basic I (12 Mbps download) to Home Hyperfast (2,000 Mbps). Almost every NBN plan is one of those tiers with a provider's price on it, which is why plans are sold as "nbn 25", "nbn 50", "nbn 500" and so on. The tiers you can order depend on your connection type: the five fastest are only on FTTP and HFC, while FTTN, FTTC and FTTB top out at up to 100 Mbps.
The tiers changed on 14 September 2025, when nbn lifted its three fastest home tiers on FTTP and HFC at no extra wholesale cost: nbn 100 became 500/50 Mbps, nbn 250 became 750/50, and a 2,000 Mbps tier arrived. This page lists every tier, explains what the numbers mean and what you will actually get in the evening, and helps you pick one.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
The figures below are nbn's wholesale speeds: the most a provider can deliver to your connection box on that tier. Speeds are download then upload, in megabits per second (Mbps). Where nbn shows a range, it says the lower number is not a minimum; on copper-based connections your line may not reach the top of the range.
| Wholesale tier | Often sold as | FTTP | HFC | FTTC | FTTN and FTTB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Basic I | nbn 12 | 12/1 | 12/1 | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Home Basic II | nbn 25 | 25/10 | 25/10 | 25/10 | 25/5–10 |
| Home Standard | nbn 50 | 50/20 | 50/20 | 50/20 | 25–50/5–20 |
| Home Fast I | nbn 100 | Not offered | Not offered | 50–100/20 | 25–100/5–20 |
| Home Fast II | nbn 500 (was nbn 100) | 500/50 | 500/50 | Not offered | Not offered |
| Home Superfast | nbn 750 (was nbn 250) | 750/50 | 750/50 | Not offered | Not offered |
| Home Ultrafast | nbn 1000 | ~1000/100 | ~1000/100 (subject to service qualification) | Not offered | Not offered |
| Home Hyperfast | nbn 2000 | 2000/200 | 2000/100 | Not offered | Not offered |
nbn's upgrade (it called the program "Accelerate Great") was made available to providers from 14 September 2025. On FTTP and HFC, Home Fast went from 100/20 to 500/50 Mbps, Home Superfast from 250/25 to 750/50, and Home Ultrafast's upload doubled from 50 to 100 Mbps. A new Home Hyperfast tier offers 2,000/200 Mbps on FTTP and 2,000/100 on HFC.
nbn said there would be no change to the wholesale price of these tiers because of the speed increases, and that for most eligible customers on applicable plans the upgrade would be automatic. Providers chose when to pass it on, and plan names vary between providers, so a plan you bought as "nbn 100" on FTTP or HFC should now be delivering up to 500 Mbps. By February 2026 nbn said the upgrades had reached almost a third of its customers.
The upgrade did not apply to FTTN, FTTC or FTTB. Those connections kept Home Fast I at up to 100 Mbps as their top tier. If you are on one of them, the route to the faster tiers is the full-fibre upgrade.
Home Basic I (12/1 Mbps) is the slowest tier. nbn describes it as designed for standard or high definition streaming. It suits a single light user who browses, emails and watches the occasional show, or a home that mainly needs a phone line. The 1 Mbps upload is slow for video calls and for backing up photos.
Home Basic II (25/10 Mbps on most connections) is nbn's suggestion for streaming 4K on one device or HD streaming. It works for one or two people who don't use the internet heavily at the same time. Both entry tiers are available on every fixed-line technology.
Home Standard (50/20 Mbps) is a common choice for couples and small families. nbn says it is designed to stream in 4K on one or two devices at once, and the 20 Mbps upload handles video calls comfortably. On FTTN and FTTB it is sold as 25–50 Mbps, because the copper line sets the ceiling.
Home Fast I (up to 100/20 Mbps) is now only sold on FTTN, FTTC and FTTB, where it is the fastest tier. nbn describes it as supporting 4K on one to four devices. On FTTC nbn quotes 50–100 Mbps; on FTTN and FTTB the result depends on your line, so a Home Fast I plan may deliver little more than Home Standard. Ask the provider what your line can reach before paying for it.
Home Fast II (500/50), Home Superfast (750/50), Home Ultrafast (about 1,000/100) and Home Hyperfast (2,000/200 on FTTP, 2,000/100 on HFC) are only available on FTTP and HFC. nbn describes the top three as able to support 4K streaming on ten or more devices at once. Home Ultrafast on HFC is subject to service qualification, so not every HFC line can take it.
Few households need more than Home Fast II for day-to-day use. The faster tiers pay off for large households, people who move big files for work, and anyone who wants large game or software downloads to finish in minutes. By 30 June 2026 nbn said 37% of its services were on a 500 Mbps or faster tier.
Remember that the speed you see on a device is capped by the device and your home network. Many Wi-Fi setups, older laptops and phones cannot use 1,000 Mbps, and an older modem or router can hold back even a 500 Mbps plan. Check your equipment before paying for the top tiers.
The first number in a tier is download speed: how fast data comes to you, which is what streaming, browsing and downloading use. The second is upload speed: how fast you send data, which matters for video calls, sending large files, cloud backups and live streaming. The faster tiers now have much better upload speeds, which is a real gain for people working from home.
The tier speed is not a promise. What you should compare is the provider's typical evening speed: the speed its customers on that tier usually get between 7pm and 11pm, when the network is busiest. The ACCC's guidance says providers should advertise this figure for every NBN plan, including upload speed.
The ACCC's final Measuring Broadband Australia report, released in June 2026, found that fixed-line NBN customers received on average 99.4% of their plan's download speed in the evening peak. That makes busy-hour congestion less of a worry than it once was, but it is still worth comparing the typical evening speed, especially between smaller providers.
Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster satellite have their own tiers. Fixed Wireless now runs from Fixed Wireless Basic I (12/1 Mbps) to Fixed Wireless Superfast (up to 400 Mbps download), with nbn publishing maximum busy-hour wholesale speeds for the faster tiers. Sky Muster Plus Premium comes in 25/5, 50/5 and 100/5 Mbps tiers with nbn's typical busy-period speeds of 21, 38 and 63 Mbps. Our Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster pages cover them in full.
Start with what happens at your busiest hour, usually the evening. Count the 4K or HD streams, video calls, game downloads and other heavy uses that run at the same time, and choose the lowest tier that covers them with some headroom. Our guide to what internet speed you need works through examples using the streaming and video-call services' own figures.
Then check what your connection can reach. On FTTP and HFC, every tier is open to you. On FTTC, Home Fast I is the ceiling. On FTTN and FTTB, your line may not reach even the top of Home Standard; your provider can tell you the line's estimated maximum speed. Our connection types guide explains each technology.
Your tier is on your bill or in your provider's app, often in the plan name. To test what you are getting, plug a computer into the modem with a network cable, close other apps and devices, and run a speed test at a few different times, including between 7pm and 11pm. Wi-Fi tests measure your Wi-Fi as much as your NBN connection.
You can usually change tier with your current provider, and on a month-to-month plan there is normally no contract to break; check your plan's terms for any fee. Moving up is quick; moving down can save money if you are paying for speed you don't use. If you are changing providers at the same time, see how to switch NBN provider.
NBN 25 (Home Basic II) offers up to 25 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload on most connections; NBN 50 (Home Standard) offers up to 50 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. nbn describes NBN 25 as suited to 4K streaming on one device, and NBN 50 to 4K on one or two devices at once. The extra upload on NBN 50 makes a noticeable difference for video calls.
Yes for one or two streams. Netflix recommends 15 Mbps for a 4K stream and 5 Mbps for full HD, so NBN 25 handles one 4K stream or a few HD streams, as long as nothing else heavy is running at the same time.
50/20 Mbps is a mid-range NBN speed. It comfortably covers streaming on a couple of screens, video calls and browsing for a typical small household. Larger households with several people streaming and gaming at night may want Home Fast or faster if their connection allows it.
On FTTP and HFC, nbn upgraded them from 14 September 2025: the 100/20 tier became 500/50 Mbps and the 250/25 tier became 750/50 Mbps, at no change to the wholesale price. On FTTN, FTTC and FTTB, the up-to-100 Mbps tier (Home Fast I) is unchanged.
The usual causes are Wi-Fi (distance, walls and interference), an older modem or device, a copper line that can't reach the tier's speed on FTTN or FTTB, or congestion on the provider's network in the evening. Test with a cable plugged into the modem to separate a Wi-Fi problem from a connection problem, then contact your provider if the wired speed is well below the typical evening speed it quoted.
