Cable Internet: Everything you no longer need to know

By Alex Choros

Last updated 28 July 2023

Before the NBN, if you had cable internet, you were one of the lucky ones. Cable internet used to offer speeds as fast as 100Mbps, which was a massive improvement over typical ADSL speeds. This also made it fast enough to deliver pay TV services like Foxtel.

Cable internet is now all but extinct. Telstra's cable footprint has been upgraded and incorporated into the NBN, along with a small part of Optus'.

Some other ISPs maintain small cable networks. For example, iiNet still offers cable internet to residents in Geelong, Mildura, and Ballarat.

Where was cable internet available?

Cable internet was typically only available in larger cities, but not to everyone. And since Telstra and Optus both had their own cable networks, you didn't always have a choice of which provider you could get a plan from. Some premises were only connected to the Telstra cable network, while others were only connected to Optus.

How fast was cable internet?

Cable internet offered download speeds of up to 100Mbps, and upload speeds around 2Mbps. This made it roughly equivalent to an NBN 100 plan in terms of download, but with much slower upload.

However, the actual speeds depended on factors like your plan, as well as the state of the cable network in your area.

What equipment did you need for cable internet?

Cable internet required a special cable modem. Telcos provided these when you signed up to one of their plan. Since very few providers sold cable internet, third-party modems were almost impossible to find. As such, you needed to stick with the modem your internet provider offered.

If you had Foxtel and a cable internet connection, you typically also needed a splitter to ensure both worked.

What was the difference between Optus and Telstra cable internet and HFC NBN?

NBN Co repurposed Telstra's cable internet network for use in HFC connections. HFC NBN connections rely on similar principles to cable in that individual homes are connected using coaxial cable, but are much faster.

HFC NBN customers can now get speeds as fast as 1Gbps, and upload speeds of up to 50Mbps. That's a big improvement over the old limits of 100Mbps and 2Mbps.

HFC also has less network congestion during peak times. However, this will depend on where you live, your provider and the amount of capacity they purchase.

While the NBN Co also purchased the rights to use Optus' cable network, the Optus network was largely phased out.