Belong named Money's Best-Value NBN Broadband Plan of 2021
One of the lessons of COVID-19 is the importance of having a reliable, fast internet connection at home that can support your needs.
Meeting this requirement is likely to be the biggest consideration when you're selecting an NBN broadband provider.
Winning this award for the second consecutive year, Belong says whether you're working from home, schooling from home or entertaining family and friends, people "are thinking more deeply about the decision" when selecting which NBN plan and provider is the right one.
Newly appointed Belong chief executive Jana Kotatko says there's a lot more to selecting an NBN plan than price.
"What you're going to be using the connection for is really important," she says.
"You start to look at the speed of your connection and whether that speed can support what you're going to be doing with it. It might be the number of laptops and streaming services and mobile phones or smartphones that are going to be connecting to your internet."
Another consideration is whether you just want to use the internet or the phone line as well, says Kotatko. There are providers that offer phone lines at an added cost so it's something to keep an eye out for, she says.
She also says it's a good idea to think about what your service provider can deliver you.
For $65 a month, the Belong NBN Standard Plus - Unlimited plan is true to label. There are no bundled or unnecessary extras and you can choose whether to be in a 12-month contract or pay month-to-month (with an upfront fee for the modem). Once connected you can also move the plan's price up and down as needs change. Belong also prides itself on being a carbon-neutral telco.
A finalist for the second consecutive year, Tangerine Telecom's XL Speed Boost Unlimited plan sits among our top three plans. It currently offers a $10 discount every month for the first six months before returning $69.90 per month.
Re-entering the group of finalists this year is the Mate #bestmates NBN plan.
Belong's Kotatko says competition in NBN 50 plans is continuing to heat up, especially now that most Australians have transitioned to NBN.
"Once you're on the NBN and the premises are connected, the ability to connect to different providers is easier than ever before," she says.
"You don't need a technician visit, you don't need new hardware or cables being laid, it's often just a case of notifying the service provider and switching over. In many cases, beyond turning the old modem off and plugging a new one in, you don't even lose service."
Order your copy of Best of the Best 2021
Get stories like this in our newsletters.
