A rare discount

Aussie Broadband is offering NBN 500 for AU$79 a month for six months, AU$20 below its usual AU$99 price. The promo runs until November 15.

“Aussie Broadband doesn't offer introductory discounts on its NBN plans very often”

The saving is AU$120

The six-month offer cuts AU$120 from the bill. After that, the plan rises to AU$99 a month, unless you cancel or switch providers.

“there are no lock-in contracts”

Cheaper rivals exist

The discount is not the lowest NBN 500 intro price in Australia. Dodo starts at AU$60.99 a month, while Superloop starts at AU$65 for the first six months.

Ping is good, not best

The ACCC's final NBN report put Aussie Broadband at 9.8ms peak-hour ping. That trails Exetel, Superloop, and Telstra, but the gap is tiny for most players.

“it's unlikely even obsessive ping watchers will notice the difference”

Gamers get useful extras

Aussie Broadband lets users opt out of CGNAT, which can matter for people hosting game servers at home. It also posts real-time ping data by city every five minutes.

“opting out of CGNAT may be essential under some conditions”

Support is part of it

The provider is known for Australia-based call centres, a contrast with budget rivals that lean more on webchat or offshore support.

“Aussie Broadband is highly regarded for is its customer service”

Steam speeds help

Steam's Australian ISP download data ranks Aussie Broadband third, behind Leaptel and Superloop. That may reflect its customers choosing faster plans, not pure network speed.

Try it if you're overpaying

The deal makes most sense if your current provider disappoints or costs more than AU$79 a month. Just be ready to switch before the AU$99 price kicks in.