Late 2025 saw one of the biggest upgrades to the NBN since the introduction of gigabit speed in 2020. NBN Co rolled out significant increases to household internet speeds — along with the introduction of the fastest NBN speed tier, NBN 2000 — with thousands of customers receiving ‘free’ upgrades to their existing speed.
However, a recent report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found that some households that received the upgrade are failing to reach the expected speeds.
The ACCC’s April measuring broadband report, which includes data recorded between November 2025 and January 2026, found that the new Home Fast speed tier offered to customers with a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connection recorded an average download speed of 493.7 megabits per second (Mbps). However, around 6.3% of customers with this plan had underperforming services, and could not reliably hit speeds close to 500Mbps (and in some cases, not even exceed 100Mbps).
But in some cases, this could be an easy thing to fix.
How can you fix slow NBN speeds?
Often the cause of slow internet speeds isn’t the internet connection itself, but issues within the home, which could be caused by an old modem.
In order to access faster NBN speeds, you’ll need a few things: a compatible connection type, a compatible plan and the equipment capable of achieving fast speeds, which means a modem/router with WiFi 6 or WiFi 7 technology.
WiFi 6 (also known as 802.11ax) was introduced in 2019 but for some providers, it may have taken a couple of years for compatible modems to be supplied with plans. So if you’ve had your modem for six or more years, it might not be WiFi 6 compatible. You can usually check this on the box your modem/router came in, or it might be listed on the modem itself. If you still can’t find it, you can either look up your modem online for specs or check on your provider’s website if they have a list of compatible modems.
While an old modem could be just one cause of slow internet speeds, there may be other issues with your connection that your provider will need to address.
“According to NBN Co, over 2.8 million homes are now on plans with potential speeds of 100Mbps or faster. The free upgrades to 500Mbps are a huge boost for households, but to get the most from these accelerated speeds you’ll need to make sure you’ve got the right equipment,” said Tara Donnelly, Canstar's Managing Editor — Utilities & Finance.
“Upgrading your modem/router could be the key to solving internet speed issues, especially if you haven’t considered your home’s NBN setup in years. But if you’re on a fast speed tier and still having problems, even with the right hardware, get in touch with your provider. You should be getting the speeds you’re paying for, so ask your telco to investigate ASAP.”
Slow speeds could also be related to your devices and not the connection itself. For example, older devices might not be able to reach those fast speeds and having a VPN turned on can also impact your internet speeds. You can perform a device sweep by running speed tests on different devices to check for issues isolated to one specifically.
What are the NBN speed upgrades and did I get one?
When NBN Co rolled out the speed upgrades, several speed tiers received increased maximum speeds. The Home Superfast speed tier changed from 250Mbps download speeds up to 750Mbps download speeds, while the Home Fast NBN plan increased from 100Mbps download speeds up to 500Mbps — but with a catch.
The Home Fast speed tier with 500Mbps speeds is only available to homes with an FTTP or HFC connection type — for other connection types (Fibre to the Building, Fibre to the Node or Fibre to the Curb) this speed tier is offered with 100Mbps speeds only. The reason? Only the FTTP and HFC connection types are capable of reaching the super-fast speeds now offered by NBN Co as part of this speed upgrade.
This means that for those customers on a Home Fast plan when the upgrades rolled out, they essentially got five times the speed at no extra cost. But for those customers with slower connection types, they’re stuck paying the same price for a slower speed. While some households are eligible to upgrade their FTTN or FTTC connection to FTTP for free as part of the NBN fibre upgrade program, customers not eligible, or those with a FTTB connection type, are stuck with slower speeds.
If you’re unsure if you received an upgraded speed, there are a few ways to check.
- Did you receive an email from your provider? Many providers sent out emails or communications about the speed upgrade, so check your inbox.
- Check your internet plan — information may be listed on your most recent bill otherwise you can log in to your account (on your provider’s website or via the provider’s app) to see what plan you’re on.
- Perform a speed test — you can test your internet speed for free, which may give you an indication of what speed you’re likely to be on, although this might not help if you’re suffering from underperforming speeds.
