We are ready for new nbn Co pricing strategy

Gavin James • Oct 31, 2023

Cost certainty for nbn Co's future a welcome change

You may have seen a flood of articles in the media this week about the upcoming price changes to nbn plans. The ACCC and nbn Co have been in discussions for some time regarding a much larger change in the way nbn Co operates, not just the pricing of nbn Co's network components.

What will the new pricing plans be?

Let us jump straight in and have alook at the new pricing plans that Lightning IP will be offering on services over the national broadband network.

Home & Small Office Plans

Our most popular range of plans designed for homes and small offices have primarily had a price decrease, bringing the price down on the ever increasing popular choice of the fast and above plans.

Plan Speed Tier Old Price New Price Change
Basic 25/5 Mbps $69 $75 $6 Increase
Standard 50/20 Mbps $79 $85 $6 Increase
Fast 100/20 Mbps $99 $95 $4 Reduction
Super Fast 250/25 Mbps $119 $105 $14 Reduction
Ultra Fast 1000/50 Mbps $139 $125 $14 Reduction

Home & Small Office Pro Plans

Our Pro plans provide a massive boost in upload speeds from their counterparts. While this upload boost does come at a price, it is exciting to say that across the board these plans have seen a reduction in price.

Plan Speed Tier Old Price New Price Change
Fast Pro 100/40 Mbps $109 $100 $9 Reduction
Super Fast Pro 250/100 Mbps $179 $170 $9 Reduction
Super Fast Pro II 500/200 Mbps $269 $260 $9 Reduction
Ultra Fast Pro 1000/400 Mbps $379 $360 $19 Reduction

Fixed Wireless Plans

Over the next quarter, we will expect nbn Co to realease two new speed tiers for Fixed Wireless plus, this includes the Fast and Super Fast tiers, designed to match the speeds of their terrestrial counterparts. This is great news for those in outlying or sparsely populated areas looking for more speed than what has been previously available.

Plan Speed Tier Old Price New Price Change
Basic Up to 25 Mbps $69 $75 $6 Increase
Plus Up to 75 Mbps $79 $85 $6 Increase
Fast Up to 130 Mbps $95 Coming Soon
Super Fast Up to 325 Mbps $105 Coming Soon

Business Priority Plans

Often overlooked, our business priority plans provide an assurance to business users that our team will be able to call on nbn Co technicians 24/7 should their service require it. We have been able to pass on a price reduction across the board for these plans, as well as see the introduction of a new tier.

Plan Speed Tier Old Price New Price Change
Priority 50 50/20 Mbps $119 $115 $4 Reduction
Priority 100 100/40 Mbps $169 $140 $29 Reduction
Priority 250 250/25 Mbps $150 New Plan
Priority 250+ 250/100 Mbps $229 $200 $29 Reduction
Priority 500 500/200 Mbps $329 $300 $29 Reduction
Priority 1000 1000/400 Mbps $429 $400 $29 Reduction

Further information on the underlying changes

Removal of CVC on high tier plans

One of the most dramatic changes coming to the new nbn Co wholesale structure is the partial removal of a usage charge called Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC). CVC has been a contriversial charge established in the early days of nbn Co that charges providers for network utilisation.


Over the years, CVC has been criticised for artificially slowing the growth of Australia's internet speed, initially resulting in congestion charges where budget providers did not purchase enough CVC. To more recent times where CVC has been blamed for rising costs.


The removal of CVC charges on speed tiers of 100Mbps and above (Home & Small Offfice Fast) will allow many providers to pass on a welcome price reduction across the plans that are becoming increasingly popular for Australian households and businesses.

Accounting utilisation per service

Under the previous model, the CVC utilisation nbn Co charged was pooled across all services, meaning the price of entry level and low usage services were affected by high utilisation from heavier users.


With the new model, services on lower tier plans that exceed the bundled CVC inclusion will be charged for the utilisation overages with a ceiling in place.


This change means providers, including Lightning IP, will need to adapt to changing average costs for these plans as internet usage increases across the population.

Annual Price Reviews

As part of the SAU between nbn Co and the ACCC, nbn Co will now conduct an annual price review to align all plans with current CPI. These reviews will happen mid-year and be based of the last quarter CPI and be capped at a maximum.


These price reviews also include the increase in bundled CVC for the Basic and Standard plans as well as a reduction in the overages charges for these plans. By 1 July 2026 nbn Co is aiming to remove all overages charges on the Basic and Standard plans.


This should mean we see a gradual introduction of entry level broadband plans suitable for low usage users over the next few years.

Check out our FAQ for more information

  • When will these prices take affect?

    New customer connected from November 1st 2023 will be connected on these new plans.


    For existing customers, the pricing change will be reflected on their December 2023 invoice.


    Customers who change speed tier during November will take advantage of the new pricing.

  • When was the last nbn price change?

    It has been almost three years since we have seen a major price change from nbn Co.


    The process of the SAU between nbn Co and the ACCC has taken almost two years, over which time Australia has had the most significant CPI increases it has seen in recent years.


    During this time there has been releases of new plans, and here at Lightning IP we have reviewed prices across the board during these times.

  • Why did the Basic plan price increase?

    Under the new nbn Co wholesale rate card, the price for the Basic (25/5) plan actually decreased.


    However, this decrease came with the removal of pooled utilisation (CVC) charges.


    Due to this, individual customers will exceed the utilisation included in their service.


    By analysing the history of services on these plans, the new pricing we have launched has been made on a commercially viable decision that will see some Basic plan customers charged less than the total cost of their wholesale service.

Have another question? Get in touch with a comment below, by sending us a message through our online chat, or raising a query through our contact us page.

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