If your office has more than five people on video calls, cloud software and VoIP at the same time, NBN 100 is usually the minimum you want. Smaller teams can often get away with less, and data-heavy offices running large file transfers or hosted phone systems should be looking at NBN 500 or above. That’s the short version. The longer version is where most businesses get it wrong, because picking a plan based on the number alone, without checking what your connection type actually supports, is how businesses end up paying for speed they can’t use.
Pear Australia works through this exact question with business customers every week, and it usually comes down to the same handful of variables: how many people are online at once, what they’re doing, and whether the building’s connection type can even deliver the tier being sold. Understanding NBN speed tiers properly before you sign up saves you from either scenario. Businesses comparing different NBN plans for business can also explore available options for Australian workplaces at Pear Australia’s business NBN plans before deciding on the right speed tier.
This guide breaks down the business NBN speed tiers that actually matter – NBN 100, NBN 500 and NBN 1000 – what each one is realistically good for, and the connection type restrictions that decide whether you can even access the faster options in the first place.
What NBN 100, 500 and 1000 Actually Give You
NBN speed tiers describe the maximum download and upload speed your plan is provisioned for, not the speed you’ll get in practice. Real-world performance depends on your connection type, your provider’s network capacity, and how many devices are pulling data at once.
Here’s how the three most common business tiers stack up:
| Tier | Typical Speed | Best Suited To | Connection Types |
| NBN 100 | 100/20 Mbps (up to 100/40 on some plans) | 1–10 staff, general cloud apps, VoIP, email | FTTP, HFC, FTTC, FTTN, FTTB |
| NBN 500 | Around 500/50 Mbps | 10–25 staff, file-heavy teams, hosted phone systems | FTTP, newer HFC only |
| NBN 1000 | Up to 1000/50 Mbps (gigabit) | 25+ staff, data-heavy or multi-site operations | FTTP, newer HFC only |
Business NBN speed tiers sit on top of the same wholesale network as residential plans, but business-grade plans usually add a static IP, priority fault restoration and a service level agreement. That’s often the real difference worth paying for, not just the headline speed.
NBN 100 for Business: Who It Actually Suits
NBN 100 is the entry point for most small offices, and for good reason. It comfortably handles a team of five to ten people running cloud accounting software, sending emails, joining the occasional video call and making VoIP calls throughout the day.
Where it starts to strain is upload speed, not download. A typical NBN 100 plan gives you somewhere between 20 and 40 Mbps upload, and upload is what carries your outgoing video, your cloud backups, and your VoIP calls. If four staff jump on video calls at the same time as a backup is running in the background, an NBN 100 connection on an older FTTN link can start to choke.
If your office fits this profile and your building is on fibre to the node, NBN 100 is usually the practical ceiling anyway, since FTTN connections can’t be provisioned above it.
NBN 500 for Business: The Middle Tier Most Businesses Overlook
NBN 500 is a newer addition to the lineup, and a lot of businesses don’t realise it exists as an option separate from NBN 100 and NBN 1000. It sits in a genuinely useful middle ground: roughly five times the download capacity of NBN 100, without the cost jump to a full gigabit plan.
This tier makes the most sense for offices of around ten to twenty-five people, particularly where the work involves regular large file transfers: architecture and design firms moving CAD files, agencies uploading video assets, or businesses running a cloud-hosted PBX system across a dozen or more extensions. If your phone system runs entirely over the internet, upload headroom matters more than most businesses expect, since every call is competing with everything else going out the same pipe.
The catch is availability. NBN 500 currently only runs on fibre to the premises (FTTP) and newer HFC connections, so it’s worth checking your connection type before assuming it’s an option.
NBN 1000 for Business: When Gigabit Actually Matters
NBN 1000, the gigabit tier, is genuinely overkill for a huge share of Australian businesses, and worth saying plainly: most offices under twenty people will never touch its ceiling. Where it earns its cost is multi-site operations centralising data, media and production businesses moving large files constantly, or any business where an internet outage stops revenue outright and the SLA attached to a top-tier business plan matters more than the raw speed.
The same connection restriction applies here as with NBN 500. Gigabit plans are only available on FTTP and select newer HFC builds, which rules it out for a large portion of commercial buildings still connected via fibre to the node or fibre to the building.
How NBN Speed Tiers Fit Into Your Broader Internet Business Plans
NBN isn’t the only option on the table when you’re comparing NBN internet plans against other connectivity types, but for most Australian offices it’s still the most practical one. Fixed wireless 5G plans can work for businesses without access to fast NBN network plans, and dedicated business fibre exists for operations that need guaranteed symmetric speeds regardless of cost. But for the average small to medium business, the standard NBN speed tiers cover the range most teams actually need, at a price point 5G and dedicated fibre usually can’t match.
Worth pausing on: when comparing business internet plans Australia-wide, two providers selling “NBN 100 business plan” products can deliver very different real-world business internet speeds, depending on how much backhaul capacity they’ve bought from NBN Co and how many customers they’ve squeezed onto it. A cheaper plan that congests every evening isn’t actually cheaper once it’s costing you dropped VoIP calls.
Connection Type Decides More Than the Plan You Pick
This is the part that trips businesses up more than anything else on this list. You can pay for NBN 1000, but if your premises connects via FTTN, you’ll never see anywhere near that speed, because the copper running the last stretch to your building physically caps what’s deliverable.
Before comparing plans, it’s worth checking your connection type against the NBN Co address checker. As a rough guide:
- FTTP (fibre to the premises): All tiers available, including NBN 500 and 1000
- HFC (cable): Most tiers available on newer network upgrades; check with your provider
- FTTC (fibre to the curb): Generally capped at NBN 100 or 250
- FTTN / FTTB (fibre to the node/building): Generally capped at NBN 100, sometimes lower depending on copper line quality
- Fixed wireless or satellite: Different speed tiers apply entirely, well below fixed-line options
Have this conversation with your provider before you sign, not after. A surprising number of small business NBN plans get sold on the headline speed tier without anyone checking whether the address can support it, which is how businesses end up locked into a twelve-month contract for a speed they were never going to get.
The ACCC’s guidance on advertising broadband speeds requires providers to advertise realistic figures rather than maximum theoretical speeds, which is worth keeping in mind when a plan’s headline number looks better on paper than it performs in your office.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Speed Tier
Before locking in a plan, it’s worth working through:
- How many people are online at the same time during your busiest hour, not your average hour?
- Are you running a cloud-hosted phone system, and if so, how many extensions?
- What’s your connection type, and does it actually support the tier you’re considering?
- How much does an hour of downtime cost your business, and does the plan include a support SLA?
- Do you need a static IP for remote access, EFTPOS, or hosted servers?
Who Actually Benefits Most From Each Tier
Sole traders and micro businesses (1–5 people): NBN 50 or an entry-level NBN 100 business plan usually covers general browsing, email and light video calls without paying for capacity that sits idle.
Small offices (5–15 people): NBN 100 is the sweet spot for most, assuming a stable connection type and moderate cloud and VoIP use. This is where the bulk of small business NBN plans in Australia sit, and for good reason – it matches what most teams this size actually use.
Growing teams and file-heavy businesses (15–25 people): NBN 500 business internet gives real headroom for hosted PBX systems, design work and regular large uploads, where NBN 100 starts to feel tight. Clinics, agencies and trades businesses running everything through cloud software tend to land here.
Larger offices, multi-site businesses, and data-intensive operations (25+ people): NBN 1000 business internet makes sense when the cost of downtime or slow uploads outweighs the premium for gigabit speed. If your business would lose real revenue during an hour of degraded internet, this tier prices that risk out properly.
Getting the Right NBN Speed Tier Sorted
Choosing between NBN 100, 500 and 1000 isn’t really about picking the biggest number you can afford. It’s about matching the tier to how your team actually works, and confirming your building’s connection type can deliver it before you sign anything. Get that wrong and you’ll either pay for headroom you never use, or run a growing team on a connection that can’t keep up.
If you’re not sure which of the business NBN plans fits your office, Pear Australia can check your connection type and walk through the right tier for your team size and workload. Contact Pear Australia today on 1300 007 327, or visit peartelco.com.au to get started.