Why I switched from Aussie Broadband NBN to Future Broadband Performance NBN

Why I switched from Aussie Broadband NBN to Future Broadband Performance NBN

We moved house a few weeks ago and I chose Future Broadband Performance NBN because it has a unique service offering, and also Aussie Broadband prices have risen substantially recently.

Don’t get me wrong, Aussie Broadband is a great NBN service provider and they did an excellent job for us during the last few years.

I’d say Aussie Broadband is the Internode of it’s time with Executive Director Phil Britt as customer-focused and straight talking as Simon Hackett used to be when he ran Internode.

However, following a similar path to Internode, Aussie Broadband has grown fast, sold some of it’s ownership to the public and it’s prices have risen to allow for larger investment in infrastructure and presumably better profit margins.

Anyway back to Future Broadband and why I switched over to their NBN offer.

For starters the price was important. For $100 on Aussie Broadband you get 100GB of data at 100/40 speed. For $100 on Future Broadband you get 2400GB of data at 100/40 speed:

Being a bit more affordable (or offering more for the same price) is not the only reason, there are plenty of internet service providers in the past, currently and in the future who offer really cheap plans and their business model rarely lasts long.

What makes Future Broadband different is their Performance NBN plans include:

• Static Routed WAN /30 IPv4 – they issue a /30 IP Network Block for every NBN Connection. That means 1 IP Dedicated to the Gateway, and 1 for your Router. They don’t use DHCP or PPPoE, so you’ve got internet as soon as your device is ready and if your NBN line drops out you’ll be reconnected really fast. This is especially good for anyone on HFC like me or a flaky FTTN line.
• Business Grade IP Network – All Future Broadband NBN plans utilize the IP Routing of AAPT Business-Grade network delivering consistent speeds, quality of service, fast Connections to major cloud & content Providers via low-contention NBN CVCs.
• Data Banking Included – Data Banking allows you to rollover unused data at the end of each month and withdraw from your bank if you exceed your usual allowance. Providing a safety net it also accommodates for variable monthly usage. Store up to 15,000 GB in your Data Bank for as long as you remain connected to an Eligible Plan.
• Referral program – Future Broadband provides current customers with unique vouchers that they can give to family, friends etc eg: HD5766. These standard vouchers offer the existing and new customer with $35 off their next bill and also if you’re on a data-banking plan you will both receive 1000 GB bonus added to your bank.
• Aussie Customer Service Staff – Yes they’re all in Perth but don’t hold that against them. West Australian customer support means it starts a bit later in the morning for Eastern States customers but extends later into the evening as well.
• Hardware choice – BYO Modem/router hardware (as long as you can set VLAN tag to 100) or buy a standard preconfigured router from $140. Unusually they sell and support the Ubiquti Edgerouter-X-SFP popular with networking enthusiasts for $175.
• No long term contracts  – All Performance and Fixed Wireless NBN plans are on month-to-month terms with free relocation to a new NBN site once connected. There is a setup fee of $50 but that can be mostly offset if you get someone’s referrer code 😉
• No unlimited plans for 100/40 or faster Performance NBN plans – this means their network performs better since they don’t attract “download the whole internet” customers who feel the need to max out their connection all the time downloading Torrents etc.

To be clear, there are plenty of options out there for your NBN connection; Future Broadband is just one of them. Other ISPs recommended by the team include Launtel and Superloop to name but two.

Are you sticking with Aussie Broadband NBN despite their price rises or have you switched to another NBN provider? Please let us know in the comments.