• The nbn® Sky Muster® satellite education service

    The nbn® Sky Muster satellite education service, also known as the education port or ed port, is specifically designed for distance and home education pre-school, primary and secondary students.

    The service is available to properties mapped to receive nbn® over a Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus satellite connection. It is not available with any other nbn® or non-nbn® internet connection.

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  • Let’s break it down

    • 1 How does it work?

      A nbn® Sky Muster Education Port is a dedicated port in the nbn network termination device (NTD). It’s designed for eligible distance education and homeschool students who are connected to nbn® Sky Muster Satellite services.

      There are different ways to get this service. You can talk to your school to figure out the best option for you. Your Retail Service Provider (RSP) might help with setting up the service, configuring the router, and installing the equipment.

    • 2 How do I print when connected to the Education Service?

      If you’re using two ports on your NTD, you’ve got two separate internal networks. This can cause problems if you’re all trying to print to one single printer.

      • Many printers now have wireless printing built-in to them, making it a very easy solution. Google Cloud Print for example allows you to print to a central printer from any network.
      • If your printer has the ability to connect to Wi-Fi, you can connect it via cable to one router, and wirelessly to the other.

      If these options don’t work, you may need to consider getting an additional printer, manually switching the printer between networks when you need to print, or sending the content to be printed between computers on the different networks. E.g., via email, or saving to a cloud file system such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive.

    • 3 What do I do if my connection isn’t working?

      If your connection isn’t working, our troubleshoot nbn satellite page includes a number of RTH and nbn resources.

      You may also wish to contact your school to check for any known issues at their end.

    • 4 How much data do you get?

      Before February 1, 2022, the port allowed approved applications for eligible students to access specific education data (50GB per student, up to 150GB per Sky Muster NTD).

      From February 2022, new applications for an nbn® Sky Muster Education Port can choose either nbn® Sky Muster Plus or standard nbn® Sky Muster as the second service.

      nbn® Sky Muster Plus offers more unmetered data, with commonly used applications for remote learning being unmetered, meaning they don’t count towards the monthly data allowance. Additionally, unmetered data makes up an estimated 80% of an average nbn® Sky Muster Plus user’s internet usage.

      However, a decision to downgrade a service back to nbn® Sky Muster in future will mean they will only be able to access standard nbn® Sky Muster plans.

    • 5 Determining eligibility

      Each state’s Department of Education decides on eligibility requirements for the nbn® Sky Muster Educational Port and its delivery. You may need to provide a Student ID number from your child’s school to order an Education Port.

      State Responsibility Additional Information
      QLD, NT & SA End-user (you) is responsible for ordering and payment Queensland offers a broadband internet subsidy of $500 annually for eligible students enrolled at a State School of Distance Education for a minimum of six months continuous enrollment.
      NSW & WA Department of Education organises connection and payment Contact your school directly. In WA, Primary Students must be enrolled in a School of the Air, and Secondary Students must be enrolled in the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE). Access is not automatically offered; students must request it.
      VIC & TAS No subsidised port available –
      QLD, NT & SA
      Responsibility
      End-user (you) is responsible for ordering and payment
      Additional Information
      Queensland offers a broadband internet subsidy of $500 annually for eligible students enrolled at a State School of Distance Education for a minimum of six months continuous enrollment.
      NSW & WA
      Responsibility
      Department of Education organises connection and payment
      Additional Information
      Contact your school directly. In WA, Primary Students must be enrolled in a School of the Air, and Secondary Students must be enrolled in the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE). Access is not automatically offered; students must request it.
      VIC & TAS
      Responsibility
      No subsidised port available
      Additional Information
      –

  • Education port installation processes & requirements

      • As Part of Your Existing Service

      • Assumes existing or planned nbn® Sky Muster/Plus connection
      • Includes satellite dish, NTD/modem, and router (if needed)
      • Plans configured for separate services per child (up to three students), a combined Sky Muster Educational Service, or a hybrid of these two approaches.
      • Contact RSP for education service options
      • -
      • -

      • Separate Service via Second Port On Your Existing NTD

      • Assumes existing or planned existing nbn® Sky Muster/Plus connection
      • Includes satellite dish, NTD/modem, and router (if needed)
      • Separate service through second NTD port
      • Directly connects to NTD for education
      • If using two routers, you will need to give them different names so there’s no confusion during connection
      • Use a Wi-Fi extender or Point-to-Point for distant rooms and areas

      • Stand-Alone Separate Service

      • Even if you have an existing nbn® Sky Muster connection, you can request a second service to be installed on a second location.
      • Includes satellite dish, NTD/modem
      • Stand-alone connection, additional to existing internet
      • Connectivity Report from Regional Tech Hub required
      • This second dedicated connection to education is required before a separate schoolroom is approved.
      • -

  • The Regional Tech Hub can perform a Connectivity Report to help get that second connection set up.

  • nbn® Sky Muster Plus for Education

    If you are home-schooling or educating via distance education, you may like to investigate an nbn® Sky Muster® Plus or Plus Premium satellite plan instead of the education port.

    We advise that you analyse your current data use on your Education Port and consider switching to a small Sky Muster Plus plan (either 25GB peak or 50GB, depending on the number of children in your classroom). Visit this page to view the key differences in data allowances between the three Sky Muster products.
    The majority of your children’s schooling requirements will be unmetered and therefore not count towards your monthly usage, which means nbn® Sky Muster Plus represents better value for money than an education port for QLD, SA, VIC, TAS & NT users.

    Learn more about metered and unmetered content.

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  • Setting Up Video Conferencing for Education

    We’ve developed a quick guide on things to consider when setting up your space to use video conferencing for educational purposes. By considering these factors, you improve your learning space and are set up for success.

    Alternatively, you can watch the video here.

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    Some of the information on this page was originally developed by BIRRR in consultation with the ICPA.

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