Optus has released the cost of its internet plans to be delivered over the national broadband network (NBN).
The decision to go public with its cost offerings comes despite the telco having not yet reached an agreement with NBN Co on a wholesale broadband agreement (WBA) which covers access arrangements and pricing to the use the infrastructure.
The plans would be offered to customers on a month-to-month basis while it was operating under an interim agreement with NBN Co, Optus general manager, government and corporate affairs Clare Gill said.
“We have got that flexibility for when we do come to a final WBA to then look at the terms that we arrange and what will be going forward in a contract,” Ms Gill said.
NBN Co is the government-funded company charged with building and running the national broadband network.
Optus’ entry level plan starts at $39.99 a month and is available to current Optus postpaid mobile customers on contract.
It includes up to 40GB of data, delivered over NBN Co’s first speed tier, which had a download speed of 12 megabits per second and an upload speed of one megabit per second.
Standard NBN broadband plans start at $59.99 a month and are available to both existing and non-Optus customers.
The seven different plans, which go up to $79.99 per month for 500GB of data, will be available to those living within the five NBN first release sites in mainland Australia.
These included parts of Brunswick (Victoria), Townsville (Queensland), Armidale and Kiama Downs (NSW) and Willunga (South Australia).
Home and broadband bundles would start from $64.94 a month, Optus said.
Internode and iinet are among the handful of other internet service providers that have also released their NBN plans.
Optus told a parliamentary inquiry into the National Broadband Network last month the telco had about one million broadband customers.
About half of those customers got their Optus broadband through the local telephone network, with the other half getting their service through the Optus cable network.
Optus is a wholly owned unit of Singapore Telecommunications.
