The new Sky Muster Plus plan currently being trialled is intended to deliver 100% unmetered data usage and faster burst speeds of up to 100Mbps (download). The trial will be subject to fair use restrictions, and features of any final product are subject to change

The trial started in March 2023 and is expected to run until May 2023. This is the latest step in enhancing the nbn Sky Muster satellite network and will enable the Australian broadband provider to gather valuable feedback from it’s customers and retail service providers.

Importantly, early indicators suggest the satellite network appears to remain robust despite an increase in data usage during the first month of the trial.

For this reason, NBN Co are extending the trial to include up to around 15,000 eligible participants (previously 10,000).

Jason Ashton, nbn Executive General Manager for Fixed Wireless and Satellite, said: “We continue to evolve and upgrade the nbn Sky Muster satellite network and products as we keep pace with customer expectation and technological advancements to help deliver satellite users more capacity, enhanced network performance and enhanced data allowances,”

“We are excited about the opportunity to trial a new Sky Muster Plus plan that is designed to burst up to 100 Mbps whilst offering 100% unmetered data allowance,” said Ashton

“During the first month of the trial, we’ve seen data usage grow by about a third during the peak hours, which is between 4pm and midnight,”

“The network appears to be robust in handling this increase in demand and we look forward to extending the trial to more users through the remaining months.” he said

Subject to the trial performance and after following the normal product development process, we hope to launch the product later in 2023.

Participating RSPs include: Activ8me, IPSTAR, MultiWave Networks, SkyMesh, Southern Phone and Virtutel.