nbn® Sky Muster® Plus Premium, Sky Muster® Plus, and Sky Muster® standard – compare the benefits
Three nbn Sky Muster plans now available
nbn Sky Muster has three different plan types – Sky Muster, Sky Muster Plus, and Sky Muster Plus Premium (available from 1 June 2023). This page provides detail on the differences between the three plan types, so you can make an informed decision on whether to move from your standard nbn Sky Muster plan to an nbn Sky Muster Plus or Sky Muster Plus Premium plan.
Use this guide from nbn to compare the three products.
Things to consider:
- nbn Sky Muster Plus is OPTIONAL – you do not have to upgrade.
- Standard nbn Sky Muster plans are still available from providers (see the BIRRR Standard Plan comparison).
- nbn Sky Muster Plus is available on the 25/5Mbps speed tier, but does have the ability to “burst” at higher speeds, subject to network availability.
- If you are currently on a standard nbn Sky Muster plan, you will need to place a new order for an nbn Sky Muster Plus plan to make the switch, it is not automatic. Most providers require you to make a phone call to change to plus.
- You may have several hours of downtime, where the internet isn’t available at all, while your new plan is being applied.
- Sky Muster Plus plans currently reset the data for video streaming and VPN use between 4pm-12am midnight on the 1st of each month. All other usage doesn’t count towards the monthly data allowance.
- You may have the ability to top-up your monthly data allowance if you run out; check with your service provider as not all providers offer data top-ups.
- The nbn Fair Use Policies apply to Sky Muster Plus connections, to ensure the satellite capacity is balanced between all satellite customers.
- If you already have a nbn Sky Muster connection, you don’t need any additional or new equipment to upgrade to Sky Muster Plus.
* Fair Use Policy and shaping apply.
#Supplementary Burst allows for wholesale data transfer speeds to exceed the Access Rates of 25Mbps/5Mbps if network capacity is available. For Sky Muster Plus Premium the Supplementary Burst may be able to achieve bursts of up to 100Mbps download and 10Mbps upload from time to time. nbn does not guarantee that plans on Sky Muster Plus Premium will achieve burst wholesale download speeds of 100Mbps. Achievable burst speeds are subject to network capacity at the time of transfer (which varies over time based on aggregate usage of the network by all users and may also be dependent on the specifications of end user equipment.
^Your experience, including the speeds achieved over the nbn network, depends on the nbn technology and configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside of nbn’s control (like your equipment quality, software or signal reception). For nbn Satellite, end customers may also experience latency.
nbn is a wholesaler and does not set retail prices. Please contact your preferred internet service provider to ask about the retail prices charged by them to you.
The nbn website holds further information on Sky Muster, Sky Muster Plus, and Sky Muster Plus Premium. This document also provides an overview of the benefits of Sky Muster Plus Premium, and you can view a case study of Sky Muster Plus Premium in use here.
What is metering?
- “Metered” content counts toward your included monthly data quota.
- “Unmetered/uncapped data” does not count against your monthly included data. You can use your internet connection freely for unmetered/uncapped activities.
- “Shaped” data occurs when you’ve used your data allowance for VPN and video streaming during 4pm-12am midnight for the month. If you are shaped, your connection will be slowed down to very basic speeds for the remainder of that month.
On standard nbn Sky Muster satellite plans, all activities are metered, and use your plan’s data allowance. If you run out of data, you may be shaped – slowed down – unless you can top up your plan with a “data block”. Not all providers offer data blocks.
On nbn Sky Muster Plus plans, your monthly data allowance only needs to cover your use of video streaming and virtual private network (VPN) traffic between 4pm and 12am midnight. Everything else does not count towards your plan’s data allowance.
If you completely use your monthly data allowance using video streaming and virtual private network (VPN) traffic between 4pm and 12am midnight, however, your data will be shaped and slowed for the rest of the calendar month, until your data is reset for the new month. Top-ups are available for purchase from some nbn Sky Muster Plus providers, if you wish to purchase them. See the table below for an idea of what data is metered, unmetered, or shaped, under a Sky Muster Plus plan.
On a Sky Muster Plus Premium plan, there are no data usage allowances as it is all uncapped data. Higher speeds are also available.
Based on the average user, nbn estimates that approximately 80% of data usage will not count towards your monthly data allowance on a Sky Muster Plus plan. However, this can vary depending on how your household or business uses the internet.
What’s metered, and what’s not?
nbn updates its examples of metered and unmetered data regularly on its website. The below information was sourced from their website and was accurate as of 1 July 2022.
| Activity | Examples of activities which have uncapped data with nbn Sky Muster Plus
(unless accessed through a VPN between 4pm and 12am midnight)1 Note: Exclusions and fair use conditions apply.2 |
| Wi Fi Calling | YES – data uncapped |
| Streaming audio (like Spotify and ABC listen) | YES – data uncapped |
| Internet gaming | YES – data uncapped |
| Video calling | YES – data uncapped |
| Streaming video content (e.g. Netflix, ABC iView, Stan, FOXTEL, You Tube, Tik Tok, Play On and embedded video on newspaper and magazine websites), other than embedded video content on certain social media platforms (covered below) | YES – data uncapped outside of 4pm and 12am midnight |
| Content on certain social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumbler and LinkedIn | YES – data uncapped |
| Virtual Private Network use (e.g. Nord VPN, Norton Secure VPN, Pure VPN and/ or VPNs proprietary to workplaces and companies) | YES – data uncapped outside of 4pm and 12am midnight |
| Cloud storage and file sharing platforms (e.g. Dropbox or Google Drive) | YES – data uncapped (shaping at nbn’s discretion may occur from time to time to maximum wholesale upload and download speeds of 256Kbps |
| Gaming software updates | YES – data uncapped
(shaping at nbn’s discretion may from occur time to time to maximum wholesale upload and download speeds of 256Kbps) |
| Software / Application updates | YES – data uncapped
(shaping at nbn’s discretion may occur from time to time to maximum wholesale upload and download speeds of 256Kbps) |
| All PC and smartphone operating system updates | YES – data uncapped
(shaping at nbn’s discretion may occur from time to time to maximum wholesale upload and download speeds of 256Kbps) |
| Any traffic related to applications which nbn cannot identify | YES – data uncapped
(shaping at nbn’s discretion may occur from time to time to maximum wholesale upload and download speeds of 256Kbps) |
| Peer to Peer traffic | YES – data uncapped
(shaping at nbn’s discretion may occur from time to time to maximum wholesale upload and download speeds of 256Kbps) |
1If you’re accessing your connection via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) between 4pm – 12 am midnight, all activities will count towards your monthly data allowance, even those specified as ‘uncapped data activities’.
2Exclusions and fair use conditions apply. Examples of Unfair use include:
- an end user routinely transferring, or knowingly allowing the routine transfer of, large files greater than 20MB via email; and
- an end user downloading, or knowingly allowing the downloading of, software, application or operating system updates for more than 20 unique devices.
It is also unfair use to knowingly allow any of these things. For further details on fair use conditions, contact your internet service provider.
About Virtual Private Networks – VPNs
It is possible for people to steal the data transmitted over your internet connection, stealing details such as credit card details and personal information.
That’s why shopping website addresses start with “https” (the “s” stands for “secure”), and have the lock on them. . The website sets up a temporary very secure connection between you and that website, so you can safely transfer financial and personal information.
A Virtual Private Network sets up a very secure “encrypted” connection for your entire internet connection. Regardless of what you’re connecting to, people can’t see – and therefore steal – your data.
This very secure network can slow down your internet experience, because every piece of data over the connection is firstly encrypted, checked, and sent to the other side, where it has to be unencrypted. VPN connections can be tricky over a satellite internet service, due to the high latency – the delay – of the service.
VPNs are very common when connecting into a workplace. It means you can access the company’s private information, software, and other services, so you can work as if you were sitting in front of a computer in the office – but instead you’re on the move, or at home.
However, anyone can get and use a VPN to secure your internet connection at any time. Some are free, some will cost money.
It also means nbn can’t see what sort of data you’re transferring, so it doesn’t know if it should be metered or unmetered content.
This means that, all VPN data counts towards the monthly data allowance when used between 4pm and 12am midnight.
Who offers nbn Sky Muster?
There are 11 service providers that supply nbn Sky Muster satellite services. As at August 2022, eight providers offer nbn Sky Muster Plus plans. Pricing is the responsibility of each individual provider, so it pays to do a comparison and read their terms and conditions carefully. Pricing for Sky Muster Plus Premium plans will be released from 1 June 2023.
| Link to Sky Muster plans | Link to Sky Muster Plus plans | |
| Activ8Me | Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| ANT Communications |
Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| Bordernet | Sky Muster plans | Does not have plus plans |
| Clear Networks | Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| Harbour IT | Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| iiNet | Sky Muster plans | Does not have Sky Muster Plus plans |
| IPSTAR | Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| Reachnet | Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| SkyMesh | Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| Southern Phone | Does not have standard Sky Muster plans | Sky Muster Plus plans |
| Westnet | Sky Muster plans | Does not have Sky Muster Plus plans |