Carbon Comms vs Telstra - Which is the best NBN internet provider?
Carbon Comms is a smaller player focused on budget-friendly NBN, while Telstra is the established giant with a premium price tag. Real reviews suggest Telstra delivers reliable connections and helpful Australian support, though some find its cost hard to justify. On the other hand, Carbon Comms appeals to those prioritising a lower monthly bill.
Carbon Comms and Telstra are both reputable broadband internet providers in Australia.
Deciding which NBN or wireless internet company to sign up to is not an easy task. To make this process easier we have provided a side by side comparison of Carbon Comms and Telstra internet providers in the table below.
Disclaimer: All the data in the table is based on the opinions of people who have submitted reviews to this site over the last 24 months. We screen the reviews very thoroughly to ensure only accurate reviews get through. Please do your own research.
| Criteria | Carbon Comms | Telstra |
|---|---|---|
| About |
 |
 |
| Carbon Comms is an Australian-owned telco that sells NBN alongside mobile, VoIP and cloud services, with the team behind it claiming more than 20 years operating telcos and internet services. Support is Australian-based and runs 365 days a year, with the network operated from tier-1 data centres in Sydney and Melbourne. Every NBN plan is month-to-month with unlimited data, no setup fee, and a static IPv4 address with no CGNAT included as standard - a genuine point of difference at consumer prices. Alongside the standard residential range it also sells dedicated business tiers and NBN Fixed Wireless plans. | Telstra is Australia's largest telco and broadband provider, with the widest fixed and mobile network reach in the country. It charges a premium over smaller providers but offers extensive coverage and extras like Fetch TV. The old BigPond brand has long since been retired. | |
| Go to Carbon Comms | Go to Telstra | |
| Overall Rating | [Not enough reviews] |
4
Telstra has an overall rating of 4 out of 5 based on 12 reviews. Telstra is a very good broadband internet provider according to our users. |
| Recommended | [Not enough reviews] | 92% of people who have written reviews on this site would recommend Telstra to their friends as a broadband internet provider. |
| Reliability | [Not enough reviews] |
4.3 Telstra's reliability is rated as very good by our users. Telstra has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 for reliability. |
| Customer Service | [Not enough reviews] |
4.1 Telstra's customer service is rated as very good by our users. Telstra has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5 for customer service. |
| Value for Money | [Not enough reviews] |
3.4 Telstra is rated as ok for value for money by our users. Telstra has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5 for value for money. |
| Technical Support | [Not enough reviews] |
4 Telstra's technical support is rated as very good by our users. Telstra has an overall rating of 4 out of 5 for technical support. |
| Australian based technical support | [Not enough reviews] | No, Telstra uses a mix of Australian based and overseas call centres for technical support. |
| Call Centre Location | [Not enough reviews] | Telstra uses call centres based in Australia, Philippines and India. |
| Services Offered | [Not enough reviews] | Telstra offers a range of broadband and internet related services including internet plans. |
| Cost of 25Mbps NBN Plan with unlimited data |
Carbon Comms - Home Fast 25/10: 24Mbps, unlimited data for $57 per month. |
Telstra - Basic: 25Mbps, unlimited data for $89 per month. |
| Cost of 50Mbps NBN Plan with unlimited data |
Carbon Comms - Home Fast 50/20: 49Mbps, unlimited data for $81 per month. |
|
| Cost of wireless broadband plan |
Carbon Comms - MBB 15GB (): 0Mbps, 15 GB for $25 per month. |
Telstra - Basic 5G (5G): 25Mbps, unlimited data for $70 per month. |
| Contact Details |
Carbon Comms's phone number is: 1800 10 10 50 and website is: carboncomms.com.au |
Telstra's phone number is: 13 22 00 and website is: telstra.com.au |
| Read Reviews | Read reviews of Carbon Comms. | Read reviews of Telstra. |
| Go to Carbon Comms | Go to Telstra |
Carbon Comms and Telstra NBN25 plans (25Mbps download speed)
|
Home Fast 25/10
NBN - Fixed Line
24 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$57/mth | Go to site |
|
Basic
NBN - Fixed Line
25 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$89/mth | Go to site |
Carbon Comms and Telstra NBN50 plans (50Mbps download speed)
|
|
Home Fast 50/20
NBN - Fixed Line
49 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$81/mth | Go to site |
Carbon Comms and Telstra Ultrafast plans (>100Mbps download speed)
|
|
Fixed Wireless Plus 100/20
NBN - Fixed Wireless
98 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$79/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Home Fast 100/20
NBN - Fixed Line
98 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$84/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Fixed Wireless Plus Homefast 250/20
NBN - Fixed Wireless
248 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$84/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Home Fast 500/50
NBN - Fixed Line
498 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$84/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Home Fast 100/40
NBN - Fixed Line
98 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$88/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Business Fast 100/40
NBN - Fixed Line
98 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$89/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Home Superfast 750/50
NBN - Fixed Line
748 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$91/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Fixed Wireless Superfast 400/40
NBN - Fixed Wireless
398 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$91/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Premium
NBN - Fixed Line
500 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$99/mth
$89 for first 6 months |
Go to site |
|
|
Business Superfast 250/100
NBN - Fixed Line
248 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$101/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Ultrafast 1000/100
NBN - Fixed Line
880 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$102/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Business Turbofast 500/200
NBN - Fixed Line
498 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$105/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Ultimate
NBN - Fixed Line
750 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$119/mth
$104 for first 6 months |
Go to site |
|
|
Business Ultrafast 1000/400
NBN - Fixed Line
880 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$127/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Ultrafast
NBN - Fixed Line
815 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$129/mth
$104 for first 6 months |
Go to site |
|
|
Hyperfast HFC 2000/100
NBN - Fixed Line
1880 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$153/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Hyperfast FTTP 2000/200
NBN - Fixed Line
1880 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$153/mth | Go to site |
|
|
Business Hyperfast Plus 2000/500
NBN - Fixed Line
1880 Mb/s
Unlimited data
|
$196/mth | Go to site |
Summary of Carbon Comms and Telstra comparison
Please note that summary below is based on reviews submitted to this website and represents the views of the people who wrote the reviews.
- Overall: Telstra rates higher overall than Carbon Comms does.
- Recommended: Telstra is more highly recommended than Carbon Comms.
- Reliability: Telstra rates higher for reliability than Carbon Comms does.
- Customer Service: Telstra rates higher for customer service than Carbon Comms does.
- Value for Money: Telstra rates higher for value for money than Carbon Comms does.
- Technical Support: Telstra rates higher for technical support than Carbon Comms does.
How to decide between Carbon Comms and Telstra? - next steps
- Read reviews of Carbon Comms and Telstra to see what people think of these companies
- Visit the website of each company and do some of your own research - Carbon Comms and Telstra
- Decide how fast your connection need to be and how much data you need then use our broadband plan finder to narrow down the list of plans and find the best plan that suits your budget
- Choose the plan that best suits your needs and budget. Remember, that you can easily change plans but changing broadband internet providers is more difficult so it is really important that you choose a solid internet provider.
Frequently asked questions about Carbon Comms vs Telstra
Is Carbon Comms better than Telstra?
Telstra has 12 verified reviews on Oz Broadband Reviews and an overall rating of 4 out of 5. Carbon Comms has fewer than 5 reviews so we don't yet show an aggregate rating. Read the individual reviews above to form your own view.
Which is cheaper for NBN25, Carbon Comms or Telstra?
Carbon Comms's cheapest NBN25 plan is the Home Fast 25/10 at $57/month ongoing. Telstra's cheapest NBN25 plan is the Basic at $89/month ongoing. Carbon Comms is cheaper on the ongoing price after any intro period ends.
What plans do Carbon Comms and Telstra offer?
Carbon Comms offers 17 NBN plans and 9 wireless plans. Telstra offers 4 NBN plans and 3 wireless plans. See the full plan tables above for prices, speeds and data limits.
Where are Carbon Comms and Telstra's call centres?
Carbon Comms's customer support is based in Australia. Telstra's customer support is based in Australia, the Philippines and India. Call centre location can affect support hours and accent comprehension if onshore support is important to you.
How do I switch from Carbon Comms to Telstra (or Telstra to Carbon Comms)?
Switching NBN providers in Australia is straightforward. The new provider handles the transfer once you sign up and provide your address. There's usually no contract overlap if your current plan is month-to-month, but check for early termination fees on contracted plans. Phone numbers can usually be ported, and the service typically continues uninterrupted on the same NBN line.
What customers say
About Telstra
I would rate Telstra broadband as very average. 99% of the time it is reliable and fast, however there is that 1% of the time when the it will not…
In all I am satisfied with this service
Was this comparison useful? Please let us know how we can improve and make this page more useful? Thanks.
Featured Plans
Write a review of your broadband company to go in our draw to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card!
More details here.
Add a review