Australians living in regional and remote areas are increasingly gaining access to high-speed internet through wireless alternatives, as fixed-line broadband remains unavailable in many parts of the country.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s latest Measuring Broadband Australia report, both NBN Co’s fixed wireless network and Starlink’s satellite services are providing strong performance, even during peak usage hours.
Measured in March 2025, the report highlights that these technologies can deliver download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps during the busy evening period from 7 PM to 11 PM. Starlink’s standard service achieved an average busy hour download speed of 170.2 Mbps, while NBN’s Fixed Wireless Home Fast and Fixed Wireless Superfast plans reached median speeds of 166.2 Mbps and 283.5 Mbps, respectively.
Australians who live in regional and remote areas and cannot access a fixed-line network rely on alternatives such as satellite and fixed wireless services to connect to the internet. The introduction of Starlink and upgrades to the NBN Fixed Wireless network have provided these consumers with access to faster speeds, according to ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey.
While both services offer competitive download performance, Starlink led in terms of upload speeds, recording an average of 29.2 Mbps during peak times. This was significantly higher than the upload performance of NBN’s fixed wireless offerings, including the Fixed Wireless Superfast plan. The widely used Fixed Wireless Plus plan delivered an average upload speed of just 11.2 Mbps.
Starlink also demonstrated slightly lower latency and faster website loading times. Meanwhile, NBN’s fixed wireless network showed advantages in reliability, with fewer outages and reduced packet loss. However, the ACCC emphasized that the differences in these secondary performance metrics were small and unlikely to affect most users’ day-to-day experience.
The report also advised consumers to assess not only performance but also pricing, including equipment and installation costs, and their specific household data needs when selecting a broadband service.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
