Best Satellite Internet Plans on the NBN

If you're looking to wrap your mind around the ins and outs of Australia's satellite internet landscape and compare satellite internet plans before signing up with a new provider, you've come to the right place. 

Unlike the best picks for fixed-line NBN (for metro areas) or even Fixed Wireless NBN, Sky Muster satellite NBN is the slowest of the three types. On top of this, peak and off-peak data allowances are used to manage finite bandwidth, unlimited data isn’t a thing, and contracts are more common.

By crunching the data-to-dollars value across plans, the SkyMesh 170GB Basic II (up to 25Mbps) plan comes out on top (when you factor in the added speed boost). SkyMesh gives you 30GB of anytime data to work with a month and 140GB of off-peak data (1 am to 7 am) for scheduling overnight downloads. If you go over your monthly allowance, speeds are slowed to a symmetrical 256kbps for the rest of the billing cycle.

SkyMesh satellite internet plans have moved to a month-to-month arrangement since we last updated this guide. That's great for flexibility but it does mean you're charged a little more for the same inclusions. Still, you can save an additional $10 per month if you decide to bundle a phone with SkyMesh. 

Here’s a handful of other popular Basic II satellite NBN options for those looking to compare satellite internet plans.

When comparing the most affordable satellite internet plans, Activ8me proves to be a tough provider to beat. The provider’s winning Sky Muster 155GB Sonic plan is charged at $39.95 per month whether you opt for a 6-month contract or a contract-free option ($479.40 first-year cost).

In terms of speed, this Activ8me satellite NBN plan is a Basic II offering, meaning speeds of up to 25Mbps. You also have 155GB of monthly data to work with, split across 20GB of peak (between 7 am and 1 am) and 135GB of off-peak data (between 1 am and 7 am), which means you should schedule bigger downloads overnight.

Looking to compare satellite internet plans? Have a look at this winning plan stacked next to other low-price satellite internet plans below.

As far as satellite internet is concerned, big data kicks in at around the 250GB point. There are plans that go beyond this, but the dollar-per-data value starts to disappear. With this in mind, the SkyMesh 300GB Sky Muster special plan is our pick this month at $54.99 per month. It has 300GB of data that’s spread across 65GB peak (between 7 am and 1 am) and 235GB off-peak (between 1 am and 7 am).

There’s no contract and you can bring your own modem to save money if you’re churning from another provider.

This SkyMesh satellite internet plan is a Basic II service, which means you can reach speeds of up to 25Mbps. Speeds are shaped to a symmetrical 128kbps during the corresponding time if you exhaust the data during peak or off-peak times.

You can see other popular Basic II satellite internet plans below.

It’s not cheap, but if you’re after the most amount of peak data to use during the bulk of typical waking hours, the SkyMesh 270GB Sky Muster Special plan is a standout choice. You’ll be paying $199 a month, but there is a one-month free trial and it's a no-contract so you can always ditch it if it doesn't work for you.

In terms of data, this plan includes a total of 270GB for the month. This is split almost evenly, with 130GB of anytime data that can be used during either peak or off-peak hours plus 140GB that can only be used for the latter.

As is the trend, the Basic I (max 12Mbps) speeds will be slowed to 128kbps if you go over, but 130GB of peak satellite data is a stack compared to the sub-100GB offered by the sub-$100 plans.

Check out this winning peak-data plan next to the alternatives if you're looking to compare satellite internet plans and find the one that best fits your needs.

The best-speed satellite internet plans are Sky Muster Plus plans and our pick of the lot is the  SkyMesh Ultra 100 plan. Like other satellite internet offerings, this plan separates peak and off-peak data allowances. You get 75GB to use during the busiest hours of the day and 225GB to use outside of that.

What is Sky Muster Plus Premium though? Sky Muster Plus Premium is a satellite internet service that only counts certain kinds of online activities and content towards your data cap, with  VPN and video streaming being the two biggest ones. Most common internet tasks are unmetered, and if you do go over, speeds are slowed to 512/256kbps for peak times and 2,048/512kbps during off-peak times.

More than the flexible data cap though, the real reason you might want to consider a Sky Muster Plus Premium plan is it has the potential to burst above the 25Mbps top-speed regular Basic II satellite NBN services cap out at. In some cases, you can get speed as fast as 75Mbps.

You can see other popular Basic II satellite internet plans below.

Satellite internet is slower than its Fixed Wireless and fixed-line counterparts, and it’s more likely to still work on peak and off-peak logic, meaning data is separated into different times of the day. This is designed to preserve bandwidth, with the logic being that bigger downloads are scheduled overnight during off-peak times – when fewer people are competing for that finite satellite internet bandwidth – which frees up peak times for a smoother online experience.

For you, the process of getting NBN satellite internet isn’t too dissimilar to how anyone would get an NBN connection and simply involves checking you’re in a service area, finding the right provider and booking a connection date. But let’s break that down a bit more:

1. First, make sure you can connect to an NBN Sky Muster Satellite plan. You can find that out by going here and running your address through. Although almost all homes in remote Australia that can’t access fibre, cable or fixed wireless NBN will be able to access it.
2. Find the best plan for you. You can either take our recommendations above, or you can go here to take a look at all the best plans and find one for you.
3. Book an installation date. NBN says that it aims to have each home connected in less than 20 days after you first enquire about a plan, so hopefully, you won’t be waiting too long. You will organise this directly with the internet provider you sign up with, who will guide you through it all on the day of connection too.
4. Once your satellite is hooked up and configured by the NBN technician, your internet provider will provide you with a router to use to connect your devices to the internet with. This will usually be pre-configured so you’ll just need to plug it in and write down your new WiFi password.

Standard Sky Muster plans are typically capped at 25Mbps but the pricier Sky Muster Plus can achieve speeds of up to 50Mbps when there’s enough capacity on the network. Sky Muster Plus plans also offer unmetered (e.g. not counted towards your data cap) for “essential services”.

Using social media, downloading games or software updates, sending emails, music streaming and more won't toward either your peak or off-peak data. The only online activities that count toward your data usage are any traffic through a VPN, video streaming through any service, and TikTok. 

Following its arrival in 2021, rural Australians now have a whole new satellite internet option to choose from in the form of Elon Musk's Starlink.

Starlink satellite internet has already begun rolling out across Australia, covering parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Hobart. 

Customers pay $139 per month for unlimited downloads with speeds of up to 200Mbps. 

There is a hefty setup and hardware fee of $924 (and $115 in shipping and handling) but if the early reports are anything to go by, Starlink will be a solid alternative for Satellite NBN customers for several reasons.

Firstly, Satellite NBN plans still enforce strict data limits and peak/off-peak usage. Secondly, Satellite NBN only advertises speeds up to 25Mbps. It does have the potential to boost higher than that but it's subject to network capacity.

In contrast, early reports suggest that Starlink may be able to offer much faster speeds. Testing done by Ookla found Starlink customers in Australia had a median download speed of 141.55Mbps in quarter four of 2021, and a median upload speed of 14.84Mbps.

Even if Starlink is becoming more widely available, it still feels too early to make a definite call on how it compares to Australia's existing satellite internet options. On paper, it has the makings of a reliable alternative to the NBN. All the same, the sample size of Australians using Starlink remains frighteningly small relative to the other options. It's worth keeping an eye on, but hard to recommend without reservations.

When picking the right satellite NBN plan for your home, it’s worth weighing up overall data, peak data inclusions, internet speed and value. We’ve factored in these considerations for our category winners.

For reference, there are currently 11 providers of NBN satellite internet in Australia:

• Activ8me
• ANT Communications
• Bordernet*
• Clear Broadband
• Harbour ISP
• iiNet*
• IPSTAR
• reachnet
• SkyMesh
• Southern Phone
• Westnet*

* These providers only sell regular NBN satellite internet, while the others also offer Sky Muster Plus plans.

Below is an updating list of the 10 most popular satellite internet plans (with at least 50GB of data).