nbn® Sky Muster® satellite explained
Sky Muster® satellite service
The Sky Muster satellite service delivers the nbn network to homes and businesses in regional and remote Australia, via two state-of-the-art satellites. So, people across mainland Australia and Tasmania, and remote islands such as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands can now enjoy nbn powered plans through Sky Muster satellite providers.
As well as the roof satellite dish installed on the home or business, Sky Muster satellite connections also require an nbn supplied modem to be installed at the point where the cable from the satellite dish enters the premises. This device requires power to operate and can only be installed by an nbn approved installer.
When you contact your phone and internet provider to connect to the nbn network, they should arrange for an nbn approved installer to call you and organise a visit to your premises to connect you.
What to expect on the day of your nbn Satellite installation
nbn User Guide
nbn Preparation Kit
Power outage information
Talk to 10mates about whether your device will work during a blackout when connected to the nbn access network
Device compatibility
The rollout of the nbn access network will involve new technologies which some existing devices may not be compatible with.
Fair Use Policies and how they affect your peak usage
The nbn Sky Muster satellite service Fair Use Policy is in place to help ensure fair access to the service – especially during peak usage times. This Fair Use Policy applies between nbn and the provider.
Your provider will likely have a separate Fair Use Policy which applies to your premises – as satellite capacity is a limited resource. Some providers may have less capacity, which may not be noticed during off-peak times. But during peak hours, when there is more traffic, congestion may occur if 10mates does not have enough network capacity- this can lead to slower speeds and the occasional ‘buffering’.
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Other nbn Sky Muster Plus wholesale Consumer Plans
View disclaimers pertaining to this section
Note: The below content is accurate as at 1 June 2023, but the types of traffic that count towards your monthly data allowance on the nbn Sky Muster Plus product are subject to change. We recommend you check this page (or nbnco.com.au/skymuster-plus) regularly to ensure that you keep up to date with the latest changes. The examples of video streaming1 and VPN usage that count towards your monthly data allowance, between 4pm and 12am midnight, in the table below are examples only and do not comprehensively describe all types of video streaming1and VPN usage that count towards your monthly data allowance on nbn Sky Muster Plus Plans. For further details on which type of activity counts toward your monthly data allowance between 4pm and 12am midnight, please contact your preferred internet service provider.
For Sky Muster Plus plans that have a data usage allowance, only video streaming and VPN use between 4pm and 12 am midnight counts towards the monthly data quota, all other internet activity does not count. Any traffic may be shaped from time to time at nbn’s discretion if nbn considers it necessary to proactively or otherwise protect the network. Other exclusions and fair use conditions may apply.2
With these plans, simply select the monthly data allowance you require for video streaming1 and VPN traffic between 4pm and 12am midnight, with the help of your preferred internet service provider.
Sky Muster™ satellite installation requests may require in-home cabling and include multiple devices to be installed inside and outside of your premises. The nbn™ equipment to be installed may include, a satellite dish (outside), an nbn™ modem (inside), a power pack (inside), and a wall outlet (inside). Your phone or internet provider will supply a gateway (router/modem) and the Ethernet cable to connect the devices as required.
The satellite dish may alternatively be mounted on your roof or gutter.
nbn™ Sky Muster™ plans have two wholesale speeds tiers available. Speeds that you actually experience will fluctuate but wholesale speeds will peak at 12/1Mbps or 25/5 Mbps depending on the tier chosen.
nbn provides wholesale services to phone and internet providers. Note that your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ broadband access network, depends on the nbn™ access network technology and configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside of nbn’s control (like your equipment quality, software, chosen broadband plan, signal reception or how 10mates designs its network). Wholesale speeds for an nbn™ Sky Muster™ plan may be reduced if the metered data allowance is exceeded. Satellite end users may also experience latency.
These considerations may help if you’re experiencing performance or speed issues on your Sky Muster™ satellite service:
• Networking equipment: Check the quality of your networking equipment, for example, a better router/modem could improve your experience.
• Wi-Fi signal strength: Wi-Fi modems can vary in signal strength, so it’s best to check with 10mates if the modem that they’ve supplied meets your performance expectations.
• Where you position your Wi-Fi modem: Other electronics can impact your Wi-Fi signal – mobile phones, microwaves and TVs rely on radio signals. Having your router placed as far away from these devices as possible can help.
• The number of devices online at the same time: If you regularly have many users and devices actively online at the same time, and stream videos on a regular basis, ask 10mates about whether a plan based on a higher wholesale speed tier is available.
• Network congestion: How 10mates configures their network and manages traffic (particularly during peak periods when more people are online) can have an effect on your internet experience – particularly during peak usage times. Ask 10mates how they approach their congestion during peak times to help you to understand what’s right for you.
If you’re still experiencing issues with your nbn™ service, you’ll need to chat with 10mates for further assistance.
Your VPN is a private network that accesses the internet over a secure connection. Using a VPN can cause limitations on your device when using the internet and can cause your connection to slow down. This experience may be prominent over nbn™ Sky Muster™ satellite services due to latency (delayed transmission) which is inherent to satellite technology due to the distance that data needs to travel to the Satellite and back (a 72,000km round trip in the case of nbn™ Sky Muster satellites).
Note that internet traffic via VPN is metered* on plans via the nbn™ Sky Muster™ or nbn™ Sky Muster™ Plus satellite services.
You may consider these options to help optimise your connectivity via a VPN:
- Firstly, check and compare your service’s speed with and without a VPN over the nbn™ network. +If you notice a poor result without being connected to the VPN, contact your phone and internet provider for assistance.
- Use a VPN only when required. Note that websites beginning with https:// indicate secure browsing. Common email platforms such as Microsoft Outlook and Gmail use Secure Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and cloud-based services (like Office 365 applications and Google Suite applications (Google Docs, sheets, Drive etc) are inherently secure).
- Avoid using a VPN for video conferencing where possible. Platforms like MS Teams and Google Meet are typically secure.
- Connect to your nbn™ connection box with an ethernet cable rather than via Wi-Fi when using VPN.
A premises’ eligibility for different service technologies (i.e. Fixed Wireless, Sky Muster™ satellite or Fixed Line) is subject to which access technology is available at your premises. It’s important to note that if a premises is not eligible to receive a Fixed Wireless or Fixed Line service, it may only be eligible for a Sky Muster™ satellite service.
The nbn™ Sky Muster™ Fair Use Policy forms part of the agreement between nbn and internet service providers and is designed to help ensure fair access to the nbn™ Sky Muster™ satellite network – especially during peak usage times. Internet services providers may have their own fair use conditions that apply to your retail contract. For more information, contact your internet service provider.
