It Is Interesting To See That 5G Home Internet Has Come So Far So Quickly.

This appeared last week:

5G v NBN: New battleground for fast internet

December 11, 2021 — 10.00pm

Australians might soon find out who was right about the internet: Kevin Rudd or Malcolm Turnbull.

A decade ago, when Mr Rudd was prime minister and building the new National Broadband Network, Mr Turnbull, as opposition spokesman for communications, predicted that the NBN would become an endangered species because of the eventual arrival of wireless 5G internet.

Fast-forward to 2021 and 5G internet access is now a reality.

The big-three telcos have rolled out their 5G networks to as many as three-quarters of their customers and are also now selling 5G internet plans, too.

Vodafone even came out recently with a 5G plan with a heavy discount to prise people away from the NBN, which it says is less profitable for them.

These new 5G plans compare favourably on price and speed to the NBN. However, they remain unpredictable on what speeds they can achieve in individual homes, so providers are offering free one-month trials.

So, what are the pros and cons of 5G wireless versus NBN for accessing the internet?

‘Even if your telco has marked your home to be eligible for 5G wireless, you still need to set it up and see if it works for you.’

“There’s no doubt that 5G wireless internet is the next big thing,” says WhistleOut expert Joe Hanlon. “The technology promises speeds multiple times faster than most Aussie homes can achieve with a fixed-line NBN service, based on the way that the NBN has been built.”

A big caveat is that the performance of 5G home internet depends greatly on the coverage you get inside your house, Hanlon says.

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Current Basic internet plans

Basic NBN … … 12-25Mbps … … $50-$80/month
4G Wireless … … Up to 20Mbps … … $55-$70/month
Standard NBN … … 50Mbps … … $55-$95/month
Fast NBN … … 100Mbps … … $70-$110/month
SuperFast NBN … … 250Mbps … … $90-$140/month
5G Wireless … … 50-600Mbps … … $80-$100/month

Lots more here:

https://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/5g-v-nbn-new-battleground-for-fast-internet-20211210-p59gk6.html

I wonder if  the NBN bosses, with their need to make at least some return on the huge investment, are worried as 5G rolls out across what is their prime money making turf. I would reckon so especially as so many NBN connections use less than fibre to the home connectivity and reliability.

5G is only going to improve, have a better data capacity and get cheaper. The next 2-3 years will be fascinating.

David.