Satellite to your door – nbn® Sky Muster® satellite connections

There are a number of ways costs can be applied to your plan.

• Firstly, your internet plan has a fixed monthly cost, which is billed consistently on the same day every month. This date typically marks the reset of your monthly data allowance, ensuring you start fresh each month.
• Your internet service provider might also impose additional one-time fees. These could cover setup, equipment (like routers or Analogue Telephone Adapters for VoIP), activation, speed tier changes, or early termination. You should carefully check all the possible fees that may apply to each plan as they differ with each provider.

Look for each plan’s Critical Information Summary (CIS) and compare plan costs. These are located on all providers’ websites and can be requested in-store. The CIS contains information about the plan, such as the price, fees for leaving the contract early, contract length, download limits, etc.

Data allowance, measured in gigabytes (GB), is the amount of internet content you can use monthly. How much data you need depends on what you do and how long you spend online. Basic tasks like emails and browsing use little data while streaming movies or gaming consumes more.

If you use up your data within one month, your provider might slow your connection until the next billing cycle. This is called “shaping.” For Sky Muster® plans, some providers offer additional metered data blocks, and you can upgrade at any time.

How data is managed varies by nbn® Sky Muster® satellite plan type:

• With nbn® Sky Muster®, all data counts towards your monthly data allowance at a wholesale level, and there is a set amount per month to use for online activities.
• With nbn® Sky Muster® Plus Premium plans, you can enjoy uncapped data usage for all your internet activities and a choice of speeds.

The content you use the internet for is categorised as metered, unmetered, or shaped.

• Metered content counts toward your included monthly data limit
• Unmetered content is not included in your data usage, allowing unlimited usage of included activities without speed changes.
• Shaped data occurs when you’ve used all your monthly data, slowing your connection significantly.

1. Standard Sky Muster® plans are metered for all internet usage divide the data allowance between peak and off-peak times.
   • Peak hours are between 7am and 1am at your local time (18 hours of the day).
   • Off-peak hours are between 1am and 7am at your local time (6 hours of the day).

   Standard Sky Muster® plans that offer larger data allowances in off-peak times are often better value for money but may require you to use the internet at a time that does not suit your needs. Peak hours are likely to be the hours when you most want to use the internet.

   Visit this tech tip article for tips.

2. Sky Muster Plus Premium is uncapped for all internet usage, so there is no peak or off-peak period; you can use any application anytime, as there isn’t a monthly data usage allowance.

Some contracts are available month to month, while others will have a minimum duration (such as one or two years) with the option to get reduced pricing or to bundle equipment. Longer contracts may not have upfront equipment and activation fees, but may add a charge if you want to end your service before the contract has run its full time.

If you need assistance in understanding a contract, there is good information on the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website.

nbn® may have a Fair Use Policy in place to ensure internet connections are used fairly by both the end user and RSPs.

• How the Fair Use Policy works

  Your RSP buys its internet connection from nbn®. It then sells a part of that connection to you. The Fair Use Policy applied to each technology is just one of many policies applied by nbn® to regulate what can and can’t be done on the nbn® network.

  It aims to ensure the internet connection is fairly distributed among all the customers using it. Your service provider is responsible for ensuring you follow the requirements under the Fair Use Policy. Service providers can also implement their own Fair Use Policies, to ensure that the service they’re buying from nbn® can be evenly provided to all their customers.

  Please note, this is not a comprehensive overview of the Fair Use Policies, and you should ensure you contact your RSP for more information around the Fair Use Policy in place for your service.

The following resources provide more information on how you can use your satellite connection:

• Sky Muster VPN fact sheet
• Sky Muster Connectivity Guide