The Aussie NBN Plans With the Cheapest Modem Fees

Typical download speeds and upfront costs are some of the most important things to look out for when it comes to choosing a new internet provider. However, one of the less obvious things that savvy consumers might want to look at is the cost of any modem involved with signing up for a given broadband plan. 

If you’re moving out on your own for the first time or don’t have one, the surcharge that comes with signing up for a new internet plan can be hard to swallow. It can also make it more difficult to break up with and move on from a given internet provider if they don’t meet your needs and expectations. 

At the time of writing, the providers with the cheapest NBN modems are Belong, Dodo, Kogan, TPG and Moose NBN. For a snapshot of the cheapest NBN plans from these providers, check out the widget below:

Our pick of the lot here is the Dodo NBN 50 plan. The Dodo NBN 50 Unlimited plan comes with typical evening speeds of 50Mbps and upload speeds of 17Mbps. Ordinarily, this one is priced at $75 per month. 

However, if you sign up using the widget below, you’ll save $21.60 per month for the first six months. You’ll also save $20 on the cost of the modem if you’re a new customer and you sign up before 30 November 2023. 

As with other Dodo plans, you can also save an extra $10 per month if you’re based in NSW or Victoria and already using the company as either a gas or electricity provider. 

Once you reach the end of that six-month honeymoon period, there’s little stopping you from shopping around for a better deal. If you do it carelessly, changing NBN providers can mean a lot of hardware fees but so long as you’re sticking to ones that let you bring your own modem with you it is the easiest way for most people to save money on the cost of staying connected.

All that said, ranking providers by the cost of the modems they use does overlook one very important quirk of Australia’s broadband landscape. These days, many providers will technically give you the modem for free if you stick around long enough. 

Take a look at the widget below for a round-up of NBN 100 plans that include a free modem if you stay on.

Of course, if you are looking to squeeze every spare dollar you can when it comes to your home internet connection, then it might be worth giving 5G home internet a try instead. 

The 5G Home Internet plans available from the likes of Optus, TPG, and Vodafone aren’t just cheaper than their NBN counterparts in the short term (since most providers will offer new customers their first month “on the house) but the long one as well. Take a look at this snapshot of Australia’s cheapest 5G home internet plans for a sense of what the landscape looks like. 

Fergus Halliday is a journalist at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.

Lead Image Credit: NBC