Australians are benefitting from faster average download speeds, the ACCC's eighth Measuring Broadband Australia report reveals, with retail service providers (RSPs) now delivering more than 80 per cent of maximum plan speeds in the busy evening hours.
The latest Measuring Broadband Australia report, based on speed tests carried out during November 2019, shows Australian broadband plans achieved average download speeds of 85.3 per cent of their maximum possible speeds during the busy evening hours of 7pm to 11pm.
Consumers on lower-priced plans were more likely to come close to getting the fastest download speed possible on their connections. Consumers on 12 Mbps plans received an average of 90.4 per cent of their connection's maximum possible speed, while those on 25 Mbps plans received 88.7 per cent.
Across all plans, most RSPs achieved scores of between 84.3 and 86.6 per cent, while Optus recorded the highest score of 89.9 per cent.
Dodo/iPrimus recorded the biggest improvement in the busy hour download speed score, achieving 80 per cent of maximum plan speeds, up from 76.4 per cent in August 2019.
However, many high speed fibre to the node (FTTN) connections still don't come close to performing as promised. The results show that about a quarter of those consumers on FTTN connections, who are paying for high-speed 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps plans, still did not receive anywhere near their full plan speeds, at any time.
"We are pleased to see that speeds have generally improved, however we need more action from NBN Co and retail service providers so that all consumers can access their full NBN plan speeds," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
"This Measuring Broadband Australia data clearly shows that too many consumers with FTTN connections are not receiving the speeds they are paying for."
The report shows that, across all plans and connections, most RSPs improved their average download speeds over the three months from August to November 2019, including during the busy evening hours.
However, results would have been between 1.4 percentage points and 6.2 percentage points better if issues causing poor performance on some FTTN connections, such as problems with in-house wiring, had been addressed.
