Regional internet in Australia: what it really costs, on the government's own numbers
Check your address for fixed-line NBN first, then fixed wireless, and only then satellite — because that is the order of cheapest-and-fastest to most-expensive, and the government's own testing backs it. Satellite is the right answer when nothing fixed reaches you, and the wrong answer when something does. The one cost nobody shows you upfront is Starlink's per-address demand surcharge, and we explain exactly where it hides.
Start here: the order to check
Cheapest and fastest first. Most people skip straight to Starlink and overpay.
Every town assessment on this site opens the same way: check fixed-line or 5G first, then satellite. This page is the national version of that advice, with the numbers under it.
What the government's testing found
The ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia program tests every connection type on the same methodology. It does not publish prices — it publishes independent performance. This is the trustworthy part.
| Connection | Busy-hour download | Latency |
|---|---|---|
| NBN Fixed Wireless Superfast | 283.5 Mbps | low |
| NBN Fixed Wireless Home Fast | 166.2 Mbps | low |
| Starlink | 170.2 Mbps | 26.7 ms |
| NBN Sky Muster | up to 100 Mbps | 664.9 ms |
Busy hours are 7–11pm weeknights. Fixed wireless figures from the March 2025 release; Starlink and Sky Muster latency from Report 31, December 2025. Source: ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia.
Two things jump out. Fixed wireless beats Starlink on raw speed where a tower is in range — so if the NBN reaches you, satellite is rarely the value play. And Sky Muster's latency is about 25 times Starlink's: 665 ms against 27 ms. For video calls or gaming, that gap is the whole story, and it is why Starlink is worth the premium only where the fixed options run out.
One caveat the ACCC states plainly: its Starlink figures exclude connections on Telstra's Starlink service, which runs at 50/10 Mbps plan speeds. Telstra's satellite plan is a slower, different product than these numbers describe — same satellites, capped service.
What it costs
Plan prices are national — the same in Bourke as in the suburbs. Loaded live from our own record so this stays current; the date it was last confirmed is shown below.
Loading current pricing…
The surcharge nobody warns you about. On top of the monthly plan, Starlink applies a one-off demand surcharge in busy areas — cited from roughly $145 in Sydney and Melbourne up to about $1,300 elsewhere. It is not monthly, and it is invisible until you enter your exact street address at starlink.com/au. It is set per small cell, so two neighbours can differ, and no page — ours or anyone's — can quote it for you. Check your own address before you commit.
The gap: 5G home internet
Worth checking at your address — but hold the marketing at arm's length.
In parts of regional Australia, 5G home internet from Telstra or Optus is a genuine option, sometimes faster and cheaper than satellite. But it sits outside the ACCC's satellite comparison, so every 5G home speed you'll see quoted is the telco's own figure, not independent testing. We flag it rather than rank it, because we won't put a marketing number next to a government-measured one and pretend they're the same kind of thing.
If a 5G signal reaches your address, price it up — it may beat everything here. Just weigh its speed claims differently from the ACCC rows above.
So which should you get?
Which are you?
Cheaper monthly, no demand surcharge, and on the ACCC's numbers as fast or faster. Satellite is the wrong spend here. Confirm what NBN can reach at your exact address first.
Starlink's 27 ms latency makes it the only satellite option that behaves like real broadband. Sky Muster is cheaper but its 665 ms latency rules out calls and gaming. Budget for the one-off surcharge below.
Verified July 2026. Performance from ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia; prices national and dated above; the demand surcharge is per-address and only Starlink can quote it.
Common questions
Is Starlink or the NBN cheaper in regional Australia?
If fixed-line or fixed wireless NBN reaches your address, it is almost always cheaper and usually performs as well or better — the ACCC measured fixed wireless Superfast at 283 Mbps against Starlink's 170 Mbps busy-hour average. Starlink earns its higher monthly cost only where no fixed option exists. Check what NBN can reach at your address before paying for satellite.
What is the Starlink demand surcharge in Australia?
A one-off fee Starlink adds in high-demand areas, on top of the monthly plan. Cited figures run from around $145 in Sydney and Melbourne to roughly $1,300 elsewhere. It is set per small geographic cell and only appears once you enter your exact street address at starlink.com/au, so no third party can quote it for you.
Does the government publish internet prices?
No. The ACCC is a competition regulator, not a price register. What it publishes, quarterly, is independent performance testing through its Measuring Broadband Australia program — speed, latency and outages across NBN fixed-line, fixed wireless and, since late 2024, satellite. That is the trustworthy, comparable data; prices come from the providers.
Is 5G home internet measured by the ACCC?
Not in the satellite and fixed-wireless comparison. Telstra and Optus 5G home plans sit outside the Measuring Broadband Australia satellite report, so any 5G home speed you see is the telco's own figure, not independent testing. Treat it accordingly.
Why is Telstra's Starlink plan not in the ACCC Starlink figures?
The ACCC states its Starlink speed results exclude connections using Telstra's Starlink service, which runs at 50/10 Mbps plan speeds. So Telstra's satellite plan is a different, slower product than the Starlink figures describe, even though both use the same satellites.
Sources
Performance: ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia — Report 31 (December 2025) for Starlink and Sky Muster latency and speed, and the March 2025 release for fixed wireless. The ACCC notes its Starlink figures exclude Telstra's Starlink service (50/10 Mbps). Prices: loaded live from our own record, dated in the table above, in AUD, and confirmed against provider sites — they change without notice and the demand surcharge is only visible at starlink.com/au once you enter your address. 5G home internet is not part of the ACCC satellite program.
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