The NBN price rise for 2026 adds between roughly $1 and $4 a month to most wholesale NBN plans, with the actual amount on a household or business bill depending on the speed tier and how much of that increase the retail provider decides to pass on. For most households on a standard NBN 50 or NBN 100 plan, that works out to a few dollars more each month, not the double-digit jump some headlines have suggested.
The increase took effect from 1 July 2026, when NBN Co adjusted the wholesale prices it charges internet providers for access to the network. Those wholesale providers, in turn, decide whether and how much of that cost gets passed on to customers, which is why two people on the same speed tier with different providers can end up paying quite different amounts.
If your business is comparing providers or reviewing its internet costs following the increase, it is worth checking whether your current business NBN plan still represents good value, or whether switching makes more sense now that pricing across the market has shifted.
How Much Actually Changed on 1 July 2026
NBN Co’s wholesale prices are adjusted annually under the Special Access Undertaking, a regulatory framework accepted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which sets out how much NBN Co is allowed to increase pricing each year. For 2026, NBN Co confirmed the average wholesale increase would sit just under the annual Consumer Price Index figure of 3.63 per cent, measured over the 12 months to December 2025.
In dollar terms, the wholesale changes were relatively modest across most plans. The entry-level NBN 12 tier actually dropped by around one cent, while NBN 25 rose roughly $1.08 to $36.15. NBN 50 and NBN 100 both increased by $2.34, taking NBN 100 to $57.60. Further up the range, NBN 750 saw the steepest rise at $3.19, and the top-tier NBN 2000 plan increased by up to $4.04, the largest change across the board.
It is worth being clear that these are wholesale figures, meaning what NBN Co charges internet providers, not what shows up on an individual bill. What a household or business actually pays depends entirely on how its provider responds to the wholesale change.
How Retail Providers Are Responding
Retail providers are not required to pass on the full wholesale increase, and they are not required to pass it on evenly across all plans either. Telstra confirmed increases mainly on its lower and mid-tier plans, with customers on NBN 12, 25 and 50 generally seeing rises of around $4 to $5 a month. Several of its premium fibre plans, including NBN 100, 500, 750 and 1000, were held at existing pricing, a move aimed at encouraging customers to shift onto faster tiers rather than stay on cheaper, slower ones.
Optus took a narrower approach, increasing prices only on its two lowest-cost plans, NBN 25 and NBN 50, while leaving the rest of its range unchanged. This is the second year running Optus has limited its price rise to entry-level plans rather than applying it across the board.
The pattern that emerges is that customers on cheaper, slower plans are often the ones absorbing the largest proportional increase, even though the underlying wholesale change was relatively even across most tiers.
What This Means for Business NBN Plans
For business customers, NBN Co has confirmed that price changes on business-grade plans are aligned to the same CPI-linked framework used for residential plans. In practice, this means a similar pattern applies: modest wholesale increases that individual retail providers then choose how to pass on.
Businesses running multiple services, including residential NBN plans for remote staff alongside their main office connection, may notice the increase applying differently depending on the plan type. It is worth checking each service individually rather than assuming a uniform increase across every connection a business holds.
For businesses where connectivity underpins day-to-day operations, an increase of a few dollars a month is unlikely to be significant on its own. Where it becomes worth addressing is when it prompts a broader look at whether the current plan, speed tier and provider still represent the best value available.
Is It Worth Switching Providers Because of the Price Rise?
A price rise alone is rarely a strong enough reason to switch providers, particularly if the current service is reliable and the increase is only a few dollars a month. What is worth checking is whether the new pricing still represents good value compared to what else is available, since a price change is a natural point to review the market rather than simply accept the new rate.
A few things worth checking before deciding either way:
- Whether the current plan’s speed tier still matches actual usage, or whether a different tier now makes more sense
- Whether a competing provider offers a lower price for the same speed tier
- Whether switching involves any exit fees or a lock-in period that affects the timing
- Whether an introductory offer from another provider would only be temporary, meaning the saving disappears after a few months
Providers sometimes hold prices steady on plans as a way of encouraging customers to move onto higher tiers, which can make switching plans, rather than switching providers entirely, worth considering first.
How to Minimise the Impact of Future Price Rises
Wholesale price increases happen annually and are unlikely to stop, since they are built into the regulatory framework governing the network. A few practical habits can reduce how much of an impact these changes have over time:
- Reviewing plans annually around the July price change period, rather than only when a bill noticeably increases
- Checking whether a current plan’s speed tier is still appropriate, since paying for unused speed adds up over several years
- Comparing business and residential plans separately if a household or business holds more than one type of connection
- Asking a provider directly what portion of a wholesale increase has actually been passed on, rather than assuming the full amount applies
Conclusion
The 2026 NBN price rise is a modest, CPI-linked adjustment at the wholesale level, but what shows up on an individual bill depends heavily on which provider and plan a household or business is on. For most people, the increase amounts to a few dollars a month rather than a significant jump, though it is a reasonable prompt to check whether the current plan still offers good value.
Contact Pear Australia today for a straight answer on how the 2026 price changes affect your NBN plan. Call 1300 007 327 or visit peartelco.com.au.
FAQs:
1. How much is the NBN price actually going up in 2026?
Wholesale prices rose by roughly $1 to $4 a month depending on the speed tier, effective 1 July 2026. What a household or business pays depends on how much of that their provider passes on.
2. Will my NBN bill definitely go up because of this?
Not necessarily. Some providers, including Optus, have only increased pricing on their lowest-cost plans, while holding pricing steady on faster tiers.
3. Is the NBN price rise the same for business and residential plans?
The underlying wholesale framework is the same, since business plan pricing is also linked to CPI. However, individual providers can still choose how much of the increase to pass on to each plan type.
4. Should I switch providers because of the price rise?
Not automatically. It is worth comparing current pricing against other providers first, and checking for exit fees or lock-in periods, rather than switching purely because of a small increase.
5. Why did NBN Co increase prices this year?
NBN Co’s wholesale prices are adjusted annually under a regulatory framework accepted by the ACCC, with increases generally capped at or below the annual Consumer Price Index.