ACCC reveals Starlink performance in Australia for the first time

Dylan Crismale - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 05 December 2024

Satellite services such as NBN's Sky Muster and SpaceX's Starlink have been included in the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia program for the first time.

The new report found that Starlink outperformed NBN Sky Muster with faster internet speeds and lower latency – the latter a measure of how quickly it is that your device gets a response from the server and vice versa.

Anna Brakey, ACCC Commissioner said, "Many consumers in rural and remote areas do not have access to a fixed-line network and rely on alternatives such as satellite services to connect to the internet."

"We have expanded the Measuring Broadband Australia program to include performance data for satellite services to help these consumers make informed decisions about which service may offer the best value for them."

NBN Sky Muster was observed to have maximum download speeds of 111Mbps and 22Mbps for uploads. Starlink's capacity for speed is much higher, the report recorded maximum download speeds of around 470Mbps and 74Mbps for uploads.

When it came to average speeds the results were the same. Starlink recorded average download speeds of 192Mbps at all hours and 165.5Mbps during peak hours (7pm to 11pm on weeknights). Its upload speeds were consistent with average upload speeds during non-peak hours being recorded at 28.6Mbps and 27.8Mbps during peak hours.

For Sky Muster, the ACCC reported the figures as a percentage of maximum plan speeds. The highest download and upload speeds included in the calculation were 100Mbps and 10Mbps respectively. Sky Muster recorded average download speeds at 83.2% of the maximum in all hours and 66.1% during peak hours. The upload speeds like Starlinks were more consistent at 112.6% of the maximum during all hours and 102.6% during busy hours.

In terms of latency, Starlink was observed to have a latency of 29.8 milliseconds across all hours of the day compared to 664.9 milliseconds for NBN Sky Muster. This would result in a more reliable connection over Starlink when conducting real-time activities like gaming online and video calling.

Brakey said, "When deciding which plan or provider is best for you, we encourage consumers to consider both the performance data as well as the price of the service and their household’s broadband usage needs."

Starlink – even when discounted as it is right now – is significantly more expensive. Currently, the standard Starlink kit costs $349 until January 30, 2025 (reduced from $599). When not on sale you can find it on retailers Kogan, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Harvey Norman where you may find it discounted.

There's still the cost of the monthly plan which starts at $139 per month for unlimited data. Starlink's plans have no lock-in contract and come with a 30-day trial guarantee – if you're unhappy with your service you can request a full refund excluding shipping fees of $30.

By contrast, a Sky Muster Plus Premium plan is much cheaper. Prices start at around $60 for an NBN 25 equivalent plan. The fastest plan you can get on Sky Muster Plus Premoum, the equivalent of an NBN 100 plan, starts at around $100 per month.

Compare NBN Sky Muster Plus Premium plans here:

#1	Pivotel	Pivotel Sky Muster Plus Premium 25 nbn® Satellite 21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $4/mth off for first 6 months, $55/mth for first 6 months, then $59/mth ongoing. Ends 31.10.26 $55/mth for 6 mths, then $59/mth Min. cost $55 Link not supplied	$55/mth for 6 mths, then $59/mth Min. cost $55	Link not supplied
#2	Activ8me	Activ8me Sky Muster Plus Premium 25 nbn® Satellite 21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: 2 months free! New residential customers only who sign up on an eligible plan with an RRP of under $85/mth. T&Cs apply $59/mth Min. cost $59 Go to Site	$59/mth Min. cost $59	Go to Site
#3	IPSTAR	IPSTAR Sky Muster Plus Entry nbn® Satellite 21 Mbps Unlimited Data $60/mth Min. cost $60 Link not supplied	$60/mth Min. cost $60	Link not supplied
#4	Skymesh	Skymesh Skymesh Ultra 25 Plan nbn® Satellite Speed Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $10/mth off for first 6 months, then $74.95/mth. T&Cs apply. $64.95/mth for first 6 months, then $74.95/mth Min. cost $64.95 Link not supplied	$64.95/mth for first 6 months, then $74.95/mth Min. cost $64.95	Link not supplied
#5	Pivotel	Pivotel Sky Muster Plus Premium 50 nbn® Satellite 36 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $5/mth off for first 6 months, $70/mth for first 6 months, then $75/mth ongoing. Ends 31.10.26 $70/mth for 6 mths, then $75/mth Min. cost $70 Link not supplied	$70/mth for 6 mths, then $75/mth Min. cost $70	Link not supplied
#6	Activ8me Editor's Pick	Activ8me Editor's Pick Sky Muster Plus Premium 50 nbn® Satellite 36 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: 2 months free! New residential customers only who sign up on an eligible plan with an RRP of under $85/mth. T&Cs apply $74/mth Min. cost $74 Go to Site	$74/mth Min. cost $74	Go to Site
#7	Skymesh	Skymesh Skymesh Ultra 50 Plan nbn® Satellite Speed Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $15/mth off for first 6 months, then $94.95/mth. T&Cs apply. $79.95/mth for first 6 months, then $94.95/mth Min. cost $79.95 Link not supplied	$79.95/mth for first 6 months, then $94.95/mth Min. cost $79.95	Link not supplied
#8	IPSTAR	IPSTAR Sky Muster Plus Standard nbn® Satellite 38 Mbps Unlimited Data $80/mth Min. cost $80 Link not supplied	$80/mth Min. cost $80	Link not supplied
#9	Pivotel	Pivotel Sky Muster Plus Premium 100 nbn® Satellite 63 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $10/mth off for first 6 months, $89/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth ongoing. Ends 31.10.26 $89/mth for 6 mths, then $99/mth Min. cost $89 Link not supplied	$89/mth for 6 mths, then $99/mth Min. cost $89	Link not supplied
#10	Activ8me	Activ8me Sky Muster Plus Premium 100 nbn® Satellite 63 Mbps Unlimited Data $99/mth Min. cost $99 Go to Site	$99/mth Min. cost $99	Go to Site

The ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia report looks at NBN fixed-line services and NBN Fixed Wireless services on a quarterly basis and will now include these satellite services going forward. You can read the full report here or have a look at how fixed-line providers performed here.

Looking for a new NBN plan?

These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:

#1	Dodo Editor's Pick	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® Editor's Pick nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $87.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99 Go to Site*	$57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99	Go to Site
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#8	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet All Fixed Line nbn® Silver Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $11/mth off for 12mths. $69.90/mth for first 12 months then revert back to $80.90/mth. Offer available until withdrawn. $69.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $80.90/mth Min. cost $69.90 Go to Site	$69.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $80.90/mth Min. cost $69.90	Go to Site
#9	Flip	Flip All Fixed Line nbn® Unlimited Family nbn50 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $16.90/mth off for 6 months - $68/mth for first 6mths then $84.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 31.10.26. T&Cs apply. $68/mth for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth Min. cost $68 Go to Site	$68/mth for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth Min. cost $68	Go to Site
#10	Vodafone	Vodafone All Fixed Line nbn® Essential+ nbn® All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Save $10/mth when you bundle with a mobile plan with Vodafone. T&Cs apply. $94/mth Min. cost $94 Link not supplied	$94/mth Min. cost $94	Link not supplied

Dylan Crismale

Digital Content Editor

Dylan Crismale is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut, has been writing for almost a decade across a variety of Australian publications. He previously worked as a writer at Finder covering energy, internet and mobile plans. Dylan is passionate about finding the best deals to save people money and educating people about tech. When he's not sat at his desk Dylan loves working out, bingeing TV and hanging out with friends.

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