What speed your NBN plan should realistically deliver during the 7-11pm busy hour, grounded in ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia.
"Typical evening speed" is the download speed a retail NBN provider states its plan delivers during the busy evening period, defined as 7pm to 11pm. The ACCC introduced this measure so providers advertise a realistic busy-hour figure rather than only the theoretical line maximum. Under the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia program, independent hardware in real homes samples speeds throughout the day and reports what plans actually deliver at the times households use the internet most. The figure a provider prints on a plan is the number it commits to during that busy window, not a guaranteed floor for every second.
The download speed an NBN plan is advertised to deliver during the 7pm-11pm busy period, based on independent household measurement.
Source: ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia (verify current quarter/2026 report at time of reading).
The 7pm-11pm window is when Australian households stream, game, and video-call simultaneously, so it is the moment a connection is most likely to slow. The ACCC and NBN Co both treat this evening period as the meaningful test of a plan because a speed reading at 3am tells you little about the experience you actually pay for. Measuring Broadband Australia places metered devices in volunteer homes across the country and records download and upload performance around the clock, then publishes the busy-hour average separately. This is why a provider can honestly advertise a plan as, for example, an NBN 50 tier while quoting a typical evening speed a little below the 50 Mbps line maximum: the evening figure reflects real congestion across the shared network, not a lab result. Always read the busy-hour number, not the plan's tier name, to understand evening performance.
Each NBN speed tier has a line maximum, and its typical evening speed sits at or slightly below that maximum depending on your provider and connection technology. Verify the exact current figures against the latest ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia quarterly report at the time you read this, because these are published fresh each quarter and change.
Line maximum 25 Mbps download. A well-provisioned plan reports a typical evening speed close to the tier maximum. Check the current quarter's ACCC figure.
Line maximum 50 Mbps download. The most common household tier; strong providers publish an evening figure near the maximum. Verify against the latest ACCC report.
Line maximum 100 Mbps download. Typical evening speed depends heavily on your connection technology; FTTP reaches it more reliably than FTTN.
Higher tiers available mainly on FTTP and some HFC. Evening delivery varies widely, so the ACCC busy-hour figure matters most here. NBN 12 is legacy and being phased out.
The rules on this page follow the official requirements published by ACCC Measuring Broadband Australia; NBN Co. Always confirm current rules and fees with the authority before you book.