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Tips on switching NBN ISP if you have a FTTP Gigabit plan

It is not as simple as just ordering a new plan. While the NBN supplied termination device (NTD) has four data ports, UNI-D 1-4, and theoretically can have four separate ISPs providing simultaneous services, this doesn’t work if one of the services is at gigabit speed, such as a 1000/50 plan.

NBN won’t allow you to order two gigabit services, so if you currently have a gigabit service and want to switch to another ISP, you have three options. Downgrade your existing service to something not faster than a 100mbps; order a new service not faster than 100mbps, and then upgrade that after the initial gigabit service is disconnected; or “churn” by replacing, rather than adding, your existing gigabit service.

If you choose the first or second option, you will have more than one service with one being gigabit. This is a problem. If you try to have more than one service active, by connecting it to a router or computer, NBN will terminate one of the connections and prevent the disconnected service from connecting. In my situation, I actually had 3 services connected. Two 100/20 and one gigabit. I couldn’t get multiple services working concurrently if one of them was theĀ gigabit plan. NBN just won’t allow it. Practically, this means that it’s impossible to test and compare ISPs concurrently if one of them is at gigabit speed.