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Woefully small satellite data caps for all of Australia

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    • logoturtle
      Participant
       December 8, 2020 at 11:11 am

      The NBN “sky muster” service is limited across all of Australia to a maximum of 60GB per month (including uploaded data). There is no way to purchase a plan, nor multiple connections to the same address to increase this data limit. The explanation offered to me by my ISP is that this is a national cap, to ensure the smooth operation of satellite bandwidths.

      During the Victorian COVID19 lock-down, this data cap was suddenly and arbitrarily doubled to 120GB. This did not affect the performance of satellite connections.
      NBN appear to have set arbitrary limits for commercial reasons, following in the foot-steps of US providers.

      This leaves end-users who rely on network for telehealth, remote working and home-schooling very short of data given the heavy bandwidth these services require.

      So far, raising this issue with the TIO and local talkback radio has proved fruitless.
      How can so many Australian satellite customers be treated like third-class citizens without having a voice? Who can hold the NBN accountable for this shoddy practise?

      It has nothing to do with technology and infrastructure limitations, and everything to do with politics and money.

      Can the Regional Tech Hub advocate for NBN customers in a class-action style lobby to increase data caps permanently please?

    • Trent Geddes
      Moderator
       December 16, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      Hi There,

      Sorry we haven’t managed to reached you at the time of posting, there has been some keen interest in users all over Australia finding out some options to better improve their connectivity since we started last week.

      I am a little concerned that your service provider has given you incorrect info on data allowances. There is 11 nbn SkyMuster providers who have varying amounts of data plans which are larger than 60gb on peak data. 9 of those providers also provide SkyMuster Plus.

      SkyMuster Plus also gives improvements on speed and the ability to access unmetered content for almost everything bar video streaming and VPN services.

      You can find out some more info on our nbn Sky Muster satellite page (https://regionaltechhub.org.au/get-connected/discover-internet-options/nbn-satellite/) to see the range of service providers you can speak to about plans and you might find a new option that could better suit your usage patterns.

      Changing service providers and swapping to SkyMuster Plus isn’t a complex process provided you are not in a contract and may only require a 30 days notice to change.

      We would love to have a chat with you about the options available if you would like someone who can explain it a bit further, we are available on the phone/live chat/email and social media.

      • This reply was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by Trent Geddes.
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