Satellite internet provides regional and remote Australian communities access to the web where more traditional connections are unavailable due to infrastructure, cost and other factors.
What is satellite internet?
Satellite internet is a type of internet connection where signals (transmitted via satellite) are the primary method through which the internet is provided. With a satellite internet connection, there's no need for cables or wires; just a satellite dish that receives the signal being beamed from satellites in orbit around the Earth.
Because a satellite signal has to travel such vast distances the speed of downloads and uploads are usually slower
than what you'd find with a wired connection although improvements in the space have made great gains in recent
years. Of course, the benefit is that satellites can reach parts of the country where outfitting and maintaining
thousands of kilometres of fibre cables would be too expensive.
In Australia, there are two primary satellite
internet systems. The government-owned NBN Sky Muster service, and Space X's Starlink service which is a private
US-based company.
Satellite NBN
Satellite NBN is powered by the two Sky Muster satellites located in geosynchronous orbit. The two satellites appropriately named Sky Muster I and Sky Muster II are operated by NBN Co.
Satellite NBN plans are sold in three options a standard plan, Sky Muster Plus plan, and Sky Muster Plus Premium plan.
The standard plans are the cheapest with prices starting from $39.95 per month. These plans feature data caps and all activity via your service is counted towards that cap. Once you've used your monthly data allowance your speed will be slowed.
Sky Muster Plus plans were the first step in providing more flexibility to Satellite NBN customers. These plans are more expensive with prices starting from $49.95 a month. However, for the price you got unmetered data except for video streaming and VPN data between certain hours of the day.
Finally, the newest option - Sky Muster Plus Premium plans - come with unlimited data and prices from $59 a month. On a Sky Muster Plus Premium plan, the key difference is speed with customers able to get a maximum of 100Mbs download speed compared to just 25Mbps on a Satellite NBN 25 plan.
Things to consider when signing up for a Satellite NBN plan
When deciding if a particular Satellite NBN plan is right for you consider:
- The speed of your connection. Slower NBN 12 plans will always be cheaper than faster NBN 25 or Sky Muster Plus Premium plans. If you want more speed without paying for it then you can consider optimising your internet usage so that there's more bandwidth available for certain tasks.
- The amount of data included. Sky Muster plan download allowances are split into peak and off-peak allotments, so you end up with two separate amounts for use during different times of the day. As a general rule, peak data tends to be more expensive than off-peak data, so it drives up the cost of your plan. Off-peak for a standard Sky Muster plan is between 1am to 7am and for Sky Muster Plus it's between between midnight and 4pm. Sky Muster Plus plans have less data than regular Sky Muster, but many common online activities won't count toward your usage which means it could end up being the better option for you.
- Contract length. If you'd prefer to avoid a long-term contract, many providers now offer month-to-month plans. However, signing up for a month-to-month plan often means paying setup or hardware fees, which telcos tend to waive when you commit to a longer-term contract.
Satellite NBN providers
Satellite NBN providers won't look as familiar to you if you've only ever had a fixed-line NBN connection. Telstra, Optus, and TPG don't currently sell plans in this space. Instead, you'll find a lot of other companies that specialise in regional and rural internet.
Activ8me
Activ8me is one of Australia's largest Sky Muster providers, touting over 35,000 connections to the NBN Satellite service. Unsurprisingly, this is backed by a wide range of plans across NBN 12, NBN 25, and Sky Muster Plus Premium speed tiers.
Activ8me offers contract-free plans for all tiers and plans with a six-month term (for standard Sky Muster). However, all committing to a six-month contract gets you is a discount on a router the telco ranges. If you've already got your own Sky Muster-ready router, it makes more sense to go contract-free.
Here's a selection of Activ8me's Sky Muster Satellite NBN plans:
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#1
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 155GB Standard
$39.95/mth
Min. cost $39.95
Link not supplied
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#2
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 180GB Standard
$44.95/mth
Min. cost $44.95
Link not supplied
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#3
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 155GB Sonic
$44.95/mth
Min. cost $44.95
Link not supplied
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#4
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 300GB Standard
$49.95/mth
Min. cost $49.95
Link not supplied
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#5
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 180GB Sonic
$49.95/mth
Min. cost $49.95
Link not supplied
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#6
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 300GB Sonic
$54.95/mth
Min. cost $54.95
Link not supplied
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#7
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Activ8me
Sky Muster Plus Premium 25
$59/mth
Min. cost $59
Link not supplied
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#8
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 235GB Standard
$64.95/mth
Min. cost $64.95
Link not supplied
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#9
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 235GB Sonic
$69.95/mth
Min. cost $69.95
Link not supplied
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#10
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Activ8me
Editor's Pick
Sky Muster Plus Premium 50
$74/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
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IPSTAR
IPSTAR has over 12 years of experience in delivering internet to Australians living in remote and rural areas, and offers plans on 24-month contracts
IPSTAR offers plans on NBN 25, and Sky Muster Plus Premium speed tiers.
Here's a selection of IPSTAR's Satellite NBN plans:
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#1
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IPSTAR
Sky Muster Plus Entry
$58/mth
Min. cost $58
Link not supplied
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#2
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IPSTAR
Sky Muster Plus Standard
$78/mth
Min. cost $78
Link not supplied
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#3
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IPSTAR
Sky Muster Plus Premium
$98/mth
Min. cost $98
Link not supplied
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SkyMesh
SkyMesh is an NBN provider solely focused on regional and rural Australia - it sells fixed line, satellite and fixed wireless plans. When it comes to SkyMesh's satellite NBN plans it offers all speed tiers on a contract-free basis and they don't attract any setup fees. SkyMesh offers support seven days a week, even on public holidays.
Here's a selection of SkyMesh's Sky Muster Satellite NBN plans:
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#1
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Skymesh
Skymesh Ultra 25 Plan
$64.95/mth
Min. cost $64.95
Link not supplied
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#2
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Skymesh
Skymesh Ultra 50 Plan
$84.95/mth
Min. cost $84.95
Link not supplied
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#3
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Skymesh
Skymesh Ultra 100 Plan
$104.95/mth
Min. cost $104.95
Link not supplied
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Southern Phone
Regional telco Southern Phone was formed with the goal of delivering more affordable phone and internet services to outback communities.
Southern Phone offers plans on the Sky Muster Plus Premium speed tier, all of which are contract-free. Southern Phone only sells its satellite internet plans over the phone.
Starlink satellite internet
Starlink is a constellation satellite internet operated by Elon Musk's company Space X. It is made up of thousands of small satellite units situated in low Earth orbit (LEO) working together to deliver internet and eventually mobile services around the globe. Starlink both operates the satellite service and sells plans.
View Starlink's Residential plans
Whereas Satellite NBN is only available to customers who can't get other NBN technologies Starlink plans can be purchased by anyone around Australia. Its plans are more expensive with prices starting from $139 a month. Additionally, there are expensive upfront fees of $599 for hardware and shipping.
Originally Starlink was able to offer satellite internet speeds much higher than those offered by Satellite NBN. With the advent of Sky Muster Plus Premium, it's now on a more even footing with Premium Plus and a standard Starlink plan capping out at 100Mbps.
Satellite internet FAQs
Is satellite internet better than NBN?
It depends, fixed-line NBN services are capable of delivering much faster download and upload speeds than satellite internet. In some cases, people live outside of areas where a fixed-line or fixed wireless connection is available which makes satellite internet the best internet for them.
Is there any satellite internet with unlimited data?
Yes, you can get unlimited data on a Sky Muster Plus Premium or Starlink plan.
Is Starlink better than Satellite NBN?
Starlink and Satellite NBN each has its own merits. In terms of price, Starlink is much more expensive. But one of the big advantages it has is lower latency. Because Starlink's satellites are in LEO the distance data has to travel is much lower. A standard Starlink plan has a latency of 25ms to 60ms whereas due to their distance, the latency of a Sky Muster satellite is around 600ms.
Is Starlink worth it in Australia?
While not as affordable as Satellite NBN, Starlink is a good option if you value lower latency, decent internet speeds and regularly stream large amounts of video content.
Can you stream Netflix on satellite internet?
Yes, satellite internet is just another type of connection for linking to the internet you can generally perform all the same functions such as browsing, streaming Netflix and gaming as you would on any other type of internet connection.
How do I get internet in rural areas of Australia?
Satellite internet is a solution for rural areas of Australia as it doesn't require a fixed line connection for
people to get set up. Fixed ground stations beam signals up to satellites which then relay them back down to satellite dishes installed on homes and businesses in rural and remote parts of the country. In the case of Satellite NBN an approved technician will attend your property to install your dish and modem but for Starlink, you're sent a self-installation kit.
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