Move over SpinTel — a brand-new budget telco now has the cheapest NBN 1000 plan in Australia

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Meet Buddy Telco, Aussie Broadband's sub-brand shaking up the NBN market

Hand holding phone with Buddy Logo and Tom's Guide Lowest Price deal badge on bottom left corner
(Image credit: Future)

I typically spend most of my week finding the best NBN plans worth your hard-earned dosh. After the July price hikes, finding a good NBN deal appeared challenging, as most plans went up by AU$5 on average — making some incredible value plans a little less appealing. That said, a shiny new competitor has just entered the market, with astonishingly low prices turning the heads of many internet provider loyalists.

Buddy Telco, a wallet-friendly subsidiary of Aussie Broadband, officially launched in July, offering the same infrastructure in a no-frills, affordable package. Aussie Broadband is well-renowned by customers Australia-wide for its reliable service and speed claims, so as Buddy piggybacks off the network and costs less, there's much to rave about the more budget-focused brand.

Buddy Telco | NBN 1000 | No lock-in contract | Unlimited data | AU$89p/m

Buddy Telco | NBN 1000 | No lock-in contract | Unlimited data | AU$89p/m (for 3 months, then AU$99p/m)

Buddy Telco’s Zoomy NBN 1000 plan advertises 600Mbps downloads and 41Mbps uploads during the busy evening hours of 7pm to 11pm. While not the fastest speeds theoretically achievable on this tier, reviews suggest real-world speeds may differ, with customers reaching up to 930Mbps.

Do note though, that this plan is available for HFC and FTTP addresses only.

Total minimum cost: AU$89 | Total cost for first 12 months: AU$1,158 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,188

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When it comes to speeds, Buddy Telco doesn't advertise the full theoretical maximums of this tier. It is important to note though, that there are some speed discrepancies on this tier and there's only one ISP — Swoop — that does quote near gigabit speeds, with a 969Mbps claim.

That said, most providers that offer NBN 1000 plans advertise a typical evening speed range between 650Mbps and 850Mbps, which will more than suffice any serious internet cravings. And you may even experience faster speeds during off-peak hours, but this isn't always the case. It's also worth noting that ABB doesn't claim to reach these maximum speeds either, but based on online forums, some customers have achieved more than the 600Mbps advertised.

Buddy Telco exclusively sells NBN services, meaning it doesn't provide or sell hardware such as modems, so customers need to supply their own. There’s also no telephone customer support, with all troubleshooting conducted through an online live chat powered by AI on a browser or Buddy Telco's app. That said, if the chatbot can’t solve your problem, you will be assisted by a human to fix the issue.

If these factors are important to you, we'd suggest looking into other NBN 1000 options, like ABB or SpinTel, where you can add a modem for an additional fee or easily phone customer support through a provided assistance number. But if you're after a no-fuss, budget plan, Buddy Telco could be a great choice.

Don't need ultrafast internet? You can check out Buddy Telco's other affordable NBN plans in the widget below.

Lucy Scotting
Lucy Scotting
Staff Writer

Lucy Scotting is a digital content writer for Tom’s Guide in Australia, primarily covering NBN and internet-related news. Lucy started her career writing for HR and staffing industry publications, with articles covering emerging tech, business and finance. In her spare time, Lucy can be found watching sci-fi movies, working on her dystopian fiction novel or hanging out with her dog, Fletcher.