In a nutshell …
Optus, Telstra and Vodafone (and their resellers) all have packages that provide broadband Internet for your home over the 4G or 5G cell (mobile phone) networks. Depending on your home’s proximity to 4G or 5G cell towers, you can get very good broadband Internet at prices that are very competitive with NBN fixed line services.
The Devilish Detail
There are several alternatives to NBNco’s fixed line broadband Internet service offerings. Some of them are good alternatives and some are “as a last resort” options.
We won’t dwell on the “as a last resort” options because, frankly, you’d only choose them if you absolutely had no other choice. Satellite connections, like Sky Muster, are a prime example. Satellite Internet access is (relatively) slow, expensive, high latency and has reliability (reputedly) subject to the prevailing weather conditions.
Perhaps, in the future, SpaceX’s Starlink network might be a viable option, but it’s too early to tell for Australian customers.
The best alternative, currently, to fixed line NBN services is the 4G and 5G cell networks provided by Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. These are the same cell networks that are used to provide call, SMS and data services to our mobile (cell) phones.
The Internet performance when attached to one of these cell networks rivals that of FTTN, FTTC and even HFC. With the advances in 5G technology, cell networks even have FTTP-level performance in their sights.
Another compelling factor is the price, 4G and 5G is surprisingly price-competitive with fixed line NBN services. This is due, in no small part, to the fact that there is no “middle man” in the equation. Basically, the free market forces come into play and the three main TelCos (and their resellers) can be as aggressive as they wish to be on pricing as there is no NBNco in the mix dictating the wholesale prices.
There’s got to be a catch, right? Well, yes, there may be. As 4G/5G is a wireless service it is subject to the performance fluctuations of any wireless service, i.e. how good is the signal/reception where you want to deploy the service. If you’re fortunate and live in an area that has great 4G (or even better, 5G) service from Telstra or Optus then perhaps it’s a viable option for you. If your mobile (cell) phone reception is rubbish where you live then I’m afraid the reception is not going to be any better for receiving broadband Internet over the same network.
One other potential catch is that 4G/5G networks use Carrier-Grade NAT. While this is not a deal-breaker for most consumers, if you wish to host any services, e.g. running a business website, from your home network then 4G/5G Internet isn’t a viable option for you.
Interestingly, many reasonably spec’d routers have the ability to plug in a 4G or 5G modem as their primary or secondary WAN connection. This gives customers the choice of Internet backends while keeping the router they already know and love.
In summary …
If you’re satisfied with the performance and price your current NBN connection is providing, then great. If not, hopefully this article has shown that there are alternatives and provided some food for thought.
* = in this context, NBN refers to the fixed line services of FTTN, FTTC, HFC or FTTP