Small Business NBN & Internet Plans

Does your small business rely on the internet to connect with customers and get your work done?

Whether you only use the internet to email customers or you’re technology savvy, as your business evolves, how you connect with customers and collaborate with colleagues will become even more critical.

Digital technology is exploding at a rapid rate and having a fast, reliable small business internet plan is more important than ever to keep your business moving forward. And your customers expect it too.

Dealing with downtime, slow internet speeds and a poor service provider costs your business valuable time and money. You need a fast and reliable service that works and supports your day to day business activities, so how do you ensure that?

With so many different service providers and options out there, choosing the right small business internet plan can be confusing. Do you need a small business NBN plan? Should you bundle your phone and internet plans together? Let’s take a closer at look small business internet plans.

(H2) Are you ready to sign up to a small business NBN plan?

The National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout is largely complete, so now is the perfect time to review your current internet plan and consider when you will make the switch to NBN.

Your telco provider may have already sent you a letter telling you when NBN is coming to your area, but if you’re unsure if it’s available yet, you can check by plugging in your address on our handy NBN location map.

(H2) Do you need to switch to NBN?

If your business internet connection runs on an ADSL2+ or cable broadband service, you will eventually need to move across to the NBN network. Once your area is connected to the NBN, you have 18 months to make the switch before your existing services will be permanently disconnected. Failing to do this means you may also lose your business phone number.

(H2) Do you need to buy a new modem?

One of the main differences when upgrading to the NBN network is the change from ADSL to VDSL. For your modem to be NBN ready it needs to have a VDSL port, so you will need to check your current modem to see if it is compatible.

(H2) Do you need a phone line to connect to an NBN internet plan?

Unlike ADSL, you do not need to have a landline. With NBN, the internet service is connected first, so you have the option to keep your business phone line or change to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. You can still keep your existing business phone number.

(H2) Is a small business internet plan faster than a home internet plan?

NBN delivers a faster internet speed, and a business internet plan will generally be faster than a home connection. But it’s the other features that you’ll also benefit from by having a business plan, like dedicated support and a static IP address. You may also find that a small business internet plan is more reliable because service providers and telcos have certain service levels to manage peak use and maintain speeds.

(H2) How do you choose the best NBN internet provider?

The NBN is Australia’s wholesale internet provider. In order to connect to an internet service powered by the NBN network, you need to choose an internet service provider (ISP)who can deliver what you want. Here are some of the things you need to consider when upgrading to a small business NBN plan.

(H3) Determine your speed plan

Your optimal internet speed will depend on your small business needs. This includes how many employees use the internet and how they use it. As a guide, the more people using the internet at the same time, the slower it will go, so you need to choose a speed that won’t slow you down.

If your business currently uses video conferencing, streams video and makes calls over the internet (VoIP), or you will in the future, you may want to consider a faster NBN internet plan.

Number of employees	Recommended speed	Best for
1–2	15–25 Mbps	Web browsing Checking email Sharing small files
2–5	25–50 Mbps	Sharing large files Video conferencing Using point-of-sale software
5–10	50–75 Mbps	Remote work and collaboration Sharing large files Backing up data
10–12	75–100 Mbps	Sharing large files Backing up data Web hosting e-commerce
12–15	100–150 Mbps	Video conferencing Streaming Downloading and uploading files to cloud servers

Our small business NBN internet plans start at 25/5 Mbps and go up to 100/40 Mbps, and we also offer a variety of data package sizes.

(H3) Look into contract length

When choosing a service provider it pays to compare the various contracts and fees involved to see if it is a good fit for you.

(H3) Backup services and downtime

During a power outage any equipment connected via the NBN network will not work. Consider what backup services or features are available to you so you can have your mobiles on standby during an outage. For example, can you forward your calls to your mobile? Can you store your data in the cloud and access this via a mobile device?

Ypu should also check with ISPs about their average annual downtime. Many will say their uptime is close to 100% but it’s worth covering this off in your SLAs, especially if your small business relies heavily on the internet.

(H2) How much does a small business internet plan cost?

Business internet plans vary anywhere from $XX a month to over $XXX a month. The price depends on a few things such as the type of connection, the features included and overall speed. If you bundle your business internet with phone or other services, you’ll likely save some money each month.

Looking for phone and internet plans for small business? At Business Telecom, we offer complete business internet and NBN solutions to meet your communication needs. Get in touch with us today to get started.