Aussie Broadband launches budget NBN brand

Much like Telstra has Belong and Optus has amaysim, Aussie Broadband has launched its own budget brand selling more affordable NBN plans.

Dubbed Buddy Telco, the brand is effectively a no-frills take on Aussie Broadband. Buddy' NBN plans are backed by the same core technology as Aussie's and have the same typical evening speeds, but the overall product is a bit simpler.

The biggest difference comes from customer service: Buddy only offers chat-based support through a web browser or its iPhone app. An Android app is coming soon. There's still an Australia-based human team that mans the live chat during business hours, but AI is used to help customers outside of these times.

Aussie Broadband's Chief Strategy Officer Jonathan Prosser told WhistleOut that the live chat team can still call a customer if escalation is needed. Customers just can't call first.

There are a few other differences worth noting. Buddy Telco plans are only available to customers with fixed-line NBN connection types, static IP addresses and CGNAT opt-out aren't currently available (but may be in the future), and Buddy won't sell you a new modem if you need one.

These trade-offs have resulted in plans that are between $10 and $30 per month cheaper than Aussie Broadband's offering. Here are Buddy's plans:

#1	amaysim	amaysim All Fixed Line nbn® NBN25 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $40/mth off for the first 6 months ($30 NBN Sale + $10 Standard Intro Offer), then $70/mth. Ends 23.10.26 $30/mth for first 6 months, then $70/mth Min. cost $30 Link not supplied	$30/mth for first 6 months, then $70/mth Min. cost $30	Link not supplied
#2	SpinTel	SpinTel All Fixed Line nbn® Home Starter 25/10 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data WhistleOut Special: Includes $28.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $41/mth for first 6 months, then $69.95/mth $41/mth for first 6 mths, then $69.95/mth Min. cost $41 Go to Site	$41/mth for first 6 mths, then $69.95/mth Min. cost $41	Go to Site
#3	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom All Fixed Line nbn® Value NBN 25/10 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8.5 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $30/mth off for the first 6 mths, $42.90/month for first 6 months, then $72.90/month. Ends 30.10.26 $42.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $72.90/mth Min. cost $42.90 Go to Site	$42.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $72.90/mth Min. cost $42.90	Go to Site
#4	Dodo	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® nbn25 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/9 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $73.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $43.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $73.99/mth Min. cost $43.99 Go to Site*	$43.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $73.99/mth Min. cost $43.99	Go to Site
#5	Dodo	Dodo Fixed Wireless nbn25 Plan nbn® Wireless 23/4 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $73.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $43.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $73.99/mth Min. cost $43.99 Go to Site*	$43.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $73.99/mth Min. cost $43.99	Go to Site
#6	Moose NBN	Moose NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn 25/10 Value All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/9 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for first 6 months - $44.80/mth for 6mths, then $64.80/mth + Get eero 7 modem for only $175 (RRP $249). $44.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $64.80/mth Min. cost $44.80 Link not supplied	$44.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $64.80/mth Min. cost $44.80	Link not supplied
#7	Activ8me	Activ8me Sky Muster 155GB Standard nbn® Satellite Basic I Speed 155GB Data Deal: 2 months free! New residential customers only who sign up on an eligible plan with an RRP of under $85/mth. T&Cs apply $44.95/mth Min. cost $44.95 Link not supplied	$44.95/mth Min. cost $44.95	Link not supplied
#8	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet All Fixed Line nbn® Bronze Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $23/mth off for 12mths. $47.90/mth for first 12 months then revert back to $70.90/mth. Offer available until withdrawn. $47.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $70.90/mth Min. cost $47.90 Go to Site	$47.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $70.90/mth Min. cost $47.90	Go to Site
#9	Flip	Flip All Fixed Line nbn® Unlimited Premium nbn25 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $17.90/mth off for 12 months - $48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 31.10.26. T&Cs apply. $48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth Min. cost $48 Go to Site	$48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth Min. cost $48	Go to Site
#10	Belong	Belong All Fixed Line nbn® NBN Starter – Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $26 off for 6 months - $49/mth for first 6 mths, then $75/mth (Offer ends 04.11.26) + Free $80 Mobile SIM $49/mth for first 6 mths, then $75/mth Min. cost $49 Go to Site	$49/mth for first 6 mths, then $75/mth Min. cost $49	Go to Site

And here are Aussie's for comparison:

#1	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Basic Plus nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 23/9 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING25. $83/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $58/mth for first 6 months, then $83/mth Min. cost $58 Go to Site	$58/mth for first 6 months, then $83/mth Min. cost $58	Go to Site
#2	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Value nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 47/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70 Go to Site	$70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70	Go to Site
#3	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Basic nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 12/1 Mbps Unlimited Data $77/mth Min. cost $77 Go to Site	$77/mth Min. cost $77	Go to Site
#4	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP, HFC Fast Fibre - Unlimited FTTP, HFC nbn® 500/44 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING20. $99/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79 Go to Site	$79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79	Go to Site
#5	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Fast nbn - Unlimited FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 94/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING20. $99/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79 Go to Site	$79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79	Go to Site
#6	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Super-Fast Pro nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 250/89 Mbps Unlimited Data $114/mth Min. cost $114 Go to Site	$114/mth Min. cost $114	Go to Site
#7	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Fast Plus nbn - Unlimited FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 94/36 Mbps Unlimited Data $114/mth Min. cost $114 Go to Site	$114/mth Min. cost $114	Go to Site
#8	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP, HFC Superfast Fibre - Unlimited FTTP, HFC nbn® 750/44 Mbps Unlimited Data $119/mth Min. cost $119 Go to Site	$119/mth Min. cost $119	Go to Site
#9	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP, HFC Ultrafast Fibre - Unlimited FTTP, HFC nbn® 875/92 Mbps Unlimited Data $129/mth Min. cost $129 Go to Site	$129/mth Min. cost $129	Go to Site
#10	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Turbofast Pro nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 500/178 Mbps Unlimited Data $136/mth Min. cost $136 Go to Site	$136/mth Min. cost $136	Go to Site

Prosser told WhistleOut that Aussie Broadband has been looking at the opportunity for a budget play for around two years, including looking at opportunities for mergers and acquisitions (such as the failed Superloop deal).

"It's effectively been us trying to decide will we be more successful if we grow our own [brand] or if we acquire? Where we've landed is that actually growing it ourselves is going to be incredibly fun and hopefully incredibly successful story for Aussie Broadband," said Prosser.

"The other really important part to 'why now' is we think the time is right to really launch a price-sensitive, cost-led brand, given the cost of living crisis that Australians are going through. We want to provide consumers with a choice that is driven by price, but that's also an exceptional product."

Prosser says that Aussie is expecting around 5% of its customers to churn to Buddy, but that those are customers the company would have potentially lost to other price-driven competitors.

While Buddy and Aussie's plan portfolios are pretty similar right now in terms of speeds on offer, that's set to change due to factors like plan speed upgrades (NBN 100 speeds going to 500Mbps for example) and the launch of the NBN 2000 speed tier. Based on these changes, there could be as many as 13 different speed tiers in market.

"It’s going to be very confusing. It's going to be almost impossible for a brand to compete successfully across all those tiers," said Prosser.

Prosser says Aussie Broadband will be "the destination for that incredible high-speed future," while Buddy will focus on competing in across more traditional speed tiers like NBN 25, NBN 50, and NBN 100.

Looking for a new NBN plan?

These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:

#1	Belong	Belong All Fixed Line nbn® NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $36 off for 6 months - $55/mth for first 6 mths, then $91/mth (Offer ends 04.11.26) + Free $80 Mobile SIM $55/mth for first 6 mths, then $91/mth Min. cost $55 Go to Site	$55/mth for first 6 mths, then $91/mth Min. cost $55	Go to Site
#2	Dodo	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $87.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99 Go to Site*	$57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99	Go to Site
#3	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom All Fixed Line nbn® Value Plus NBN 50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25/mth off for the first 6 mths, $64.90/month for first 6 months, then $89.90/month. $64.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth Min. cost $64.90 Go to Site	$64.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth Min. cost $64.90	Go to Site
#4	Superloop	Superloop All Fixed Line nbn® Extra-value nbn50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 months! $69/mth for 6 mths, then $89/mth + Bundle & Save $69/mth for first 6 mths, then $89/mth Min. cost $69 Go to Site	$69/mth for first 6 mths, then $89/mth Min. cost $69	Go to Site
#5	iiNet	iiNet All Fixed Line nbn® nbn50 Liimitless All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for 6 mths – $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $89.99/mth. Use code SAVE20FOR6 $69.99/mth + $10 Upfront for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $79.99 Link not supplied	$69.99/mth + $10 Upfront for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $79.99	Link not supplied
#6	TPG	TPG All Fixed Line nbn® nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $89.99/mth. T&Cs apply. $69.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $69.99 Link not supplied	$69.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $69.99	Link not supplied
#7	Moose NBN	Moose NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn 50/20 Premium All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $24/mth off for first 6 months - $59.80/mth for 6mths, then $83.80/mth + Get eero 7 modem for only $175 (RRP $249). $59.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth Min. cost $59.80 Link not supplied	$59.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth Min. cost $59.80	Link not supplied
#8	Flip	Flip All Fixed Line nbn® Unlimited Family nbn50 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $16.90/mth off for 6 months - $68/mth for first 6mths then $84.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 31.10.26. T&Cs apply. $68/mth for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth Min. cost $68 Go to Site	$68/mth for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth Min. cost $68	Go to Site
#9	More	More All Fixed Line nbn® Value Plus NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $75/mth for 36 months, then $90/mth ongoing for CommBank customers who sign up using a CommBank credit or debit card $100/mth Min. cost $100 Link not supplied	$100/mth Min. cost $100	Link not supplied
#10	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet All Fixed Line nbn® Silver Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $11/mth off for 12mths. $69.90/mth for first 12 months then revert back to $80.90/mth. Offer available until withdrawn. $69.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $80.90/mth Min. cost $69.90 Go to Site	$69.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $80.90/mth Min. cost $69.90	Go to Site

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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