"NBN National Broadband Network Australia's government-built wholesale internet network. NBN Co builds the infrastructure, then internet providers buy access to sell you a connection.NBN
All NBN providers share the same "last mile" to your home. But after that? Each provider has their own bandwidth The maximum amount of data that can flow through a connection at once — like the width of a pipe. More bandwidth means more data can flow simultaneously. Megabits per second A measure of internet speed — how much data can transfer each second. 100 Mbps means 100 million bits of data per second. For reference, streaming HD video needs about 5-10 Mbps. The busiest time for internet usage, typically 7pm to 11pm on weekdays when everyone's home streaming, gaming, and browsing. This is when congestion problems show up.bandwidth
Mbps
peak hours
The NBN myth vs reality
Here’s what people think happens when they sign up with an NBN provider:
The Myth
"NBN is a government-owned network. All providers just resell the same thing. The only difference is price and customer service."
The Reality
NBN only provides the connection to your home. Everything after that — the bandwidth, the routes, the international links — is built and paid for by your ISP Internet Service Provider The company you pay for internet access — like Telstra, Aussie Broadband, TPG, or Optus. They buy access from NBN and provide it to you.ISP
What your NBN provider actually does
Let’s trace what happens when you click “play” on Netflix:
The Journey of Your Data
modem
A device that connects to the NBN network and translates the signal into something your devices can use. Often combined with a router in one box.
Full definition → /routerNBN’s job ends at the POI Point of Interconnect Physical location where NBN hands off your traffic to your ISP. Australia has 121 POIs.POI
The POI: Where the magic (or misery) happens
Australia has 121 Points of Interconnect (POIs) — physical locations where NBN hands off traffic to retail providers. Think of a POI like a highway on-ramp. NBN builds the local streets to the on-ramp. Your ISP builds (or rents) everything after that.
Victoria's NBN Points of Interconnect
There are 19 POIs in Victoria. Your home connects to one of them based on your location.
| POI Location | Serves | Approx. Premises |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne City | CBD, Inner suburbs | ~400,000 |
| Cheltenham | Bayside, Kingston | ~150,000 |
| Sunshine | Western suburbs | ~200,000 |
| Geelong | Greater Geelong, Surf Coast | ~120,000 |
| Ballarat | Ballarat region | ~60,000 |
| Bendigo | Bendigo region | ~50,000 |
Each ISP must purchase bandwidth at EVERY POI where they have customers. A provider might be great in Melbourne but congested in Geelong — or vice versa.
CVC: The bandwidth your ISP buys
Here’s the critical part: at each POI, your ISP purchases CVC Connectivity Virtual Circuit The bandwidth your ISP buys from NBN at each POI — a shared pool for all customers at that location.CVC
How CVC Congestion Works
Well-Provisioned ISP
Plenty of headroom. Everyone gets their full speed.
Under-Provisioned ISP
Nearly maxed out. Speeds drop for everyone during peak.
This is why cheap providers often suck at peak times (7pm-11pm). They buy less CVC bandwidth to keep costs down. During the day? Fine. When everyone’s streaming Netflix after dinner? Congestion city.
How to check your ISP’s capacity
Some providers are transparent about their CVC capacity. Here’s where to look:
Aussie Broadband (Most Transparent)
Aussie Broadband publishes real-time CVC graphs for every POI, publicly accessible:
- Visit aussiebroadband.com.au/cvc-graphs
- Find your POI (e.g., “Geelong”)
- Check the utilisation percentage
Green (under 80%): Well provisioned — you'll get your full speed
Yellow (80-90%): Getting busy — possible slowdowns at peak
Red (90%+): Congested — expect slower speeds 7-11pm
Superloop
Superloop provides CVC information in your customer portal after signup. They maintain a policy of keeping utilisation below 80%.
Telstra
Telstra doesn’t publish CVC data, but historically provisions generously. They can afford to — they charge more.
TPG/iiNet/Internode/Vodafone (TPG Group)
These brands share infrastructure. No public CVC data. Reports vary by area.
Optus
No public CVC data. Mixed reviews on peak-hour performance.
Beyond CVC: What else differs?
CVC is just the first bottleneck. Here’s what else matters:
1. Backhaul Networks
After the POI, traffic travels on your ISP’s backhaul The high-capacity network connections between local points (like POIs) and the ISP's main network. Think of it as the highway system connecting suburbs to the city centre.backhaul
Telstra
Owns extensive national fibre network. Traffic stays "on-net" longer.
Aussie Broadband
Built their own network. Known for quality routing.
Smaller MVNOs
Resell capacity from larger networks. Quality depends on their supplier.
2. International Links
When you access overseas content (US servers, European sites), your traffic crosses international submarine cables. Different ISPs have different:
- Capacity on these links
- Peering arrangements with overseas networks
- Routes your traffic takes
A provider might be fast for Australian content but slow for US gaming servers. International link quality affects streaming services, gaming latency, and any site hosted overseas.
3. CDNCDN
Content Delivery Network
A system of servers spread around the world that store copies of popular content close to users. Instead of your Netflix stream coming from the US, it comes from a server in your ISP's network.
Full definition →
Peering
Here’s something most people don’t know: major content providers have servers INSIDE Australian ISP networks.
Content Caching Changes Everything
| Service | CDN/Cache | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Open Connect | Servers inside ISP networks |
| YouTube/Google | Google Global Cache | Local Google content |
| PlayStation/Xbox | Akamai, Limelight | Game downloads |
| Steam | Steam Cache | Large game files |
| Disney+ | Disney+ CDN | Streaming content |
If your ISP has Netflix Open Connect appliances in their network, your stream travels a few kilometres instead of across the Pacific. This is why some "slower" plans feel faster than "faster" plans with poor CDN peering.
4. PeeringPeering
Direct connections between networks that allow traffic to flow without going through a third party. Good peering means faster, more direct routes to popular services.
Full definition →
at Internet Exchanges
ISPs connect to each other at Internet Exchange IX A physical location where different networks connect to exchange traffic directly. Sydney and Melbourne have the main Australian exchanges.Internet Exchange
- PIPE/Equinix in Sydney and Melbourne
- IX Australia in multiple cities
- MegaPort connections
Good peering means traffic between Australian services (like accessing an Australian bank’s website) stays fast and local. Poor peering means it might route via Sydney or even overseas unnecessarily.
The technical terms explained
Internet Jargon Decoder
POI (Point of Interconnect)
Physical location where NBN hands off your traffic to your ISP. Australia has 121 POIs.
CVC (Connectivity Virtual Circuit)
Bandwidth your ISP purchases from NBN at each POI. Shared pool for all customers at that location.
AVC (Access Virtual Circuit)
Your individual connection to NBN. This is your speed tier (NBN 50, NBN 100, etc.).
Latency (Ping)
Time for data to travel from A to B, measured in milliseconds. Lower is better. Gaming needs <30ms to feel responsive.
Jitter
Variation in latency. If ping bounces between 20ms and 200ms, that's high jitter. Kills video calls and gaming.
Packet Loss
Data that never arrives. Even 1% packet loss causes buffering, call dropouts, and game lag.
Hops
Each router your data passes through is a "hop". More hops = more latency and more points of failure.
BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
How networks tell each other where to send traffic. Bad BGP = your data takes inefficient routes.
Peering
Direct connections between networks. Good peering = fast, direct routes. Poor peering = traffic goes the long way.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
Servers placed close to users to speed up content delivery. Netflix, YouTube, and gaming platforms use these.
Backhaul
The network between POIs and your ISP's core infrastructure. Better backhaul = more consistent speeds.
Contention Ratio
How many customers share the same bandwidth. Lower ratios mean less congestion.
How to choose an ISP (the practical guide)
Step-by-Step ISP Selection
Check your NBN technology first
Visit nbnco.com.au/check-your-address. If you have FTTP Fibre to the Premises The fastest NBN technology — fibre optic cable runs directly to your home. Capable of speeds up to 1000 Mbps (or even faster with new plans). Hybrid Fibre Coaxial NBN delivered via the old pay TV (Foxtel) cable network. Fibre to the street, then coaxial cable to your home. Capable of fast speeds but can be affected by neighbourhood congestion. Fibre to the Node Fibre runs to a street cabinet (node), then old copper phone lines to your home. Speed depends on distance from the node — further away means slower speeds. Fibre to the Curb Fibre runs to a small pit near your house, then short copper to your home. Better than FTTN because the copper distance is much shorter.FTTP
HFC
FTTN
FTTC
Check CVC capacity for your POI
For Aussie Broadband, check their public CVC graphs. If your POI is consistently green, they're a safe bet. Other ISPs — ask directly or check forums like Whirlpool.
Check local reviews
Performance varies by area. A provider crushing it in Sydney might be congested in Geelong. Search "ISP name + your suburb + Whirlpool" for local experiences.
Consider your usage
- Streaming/general: CVC capacity matters most
- Gaming: Latency
Latency
The time it takes for data to travel from your device to a server and back, measured in milliseconds (ms). Lower is better — under 30ms feels responsive for gaming.
Full definition → and jitterjitter
Variation in latency. If your ping bounces between 20ms and 200ms, that's high jitter. Makes games stutter and video calls glitch.
Full definition → matter — look at routing quality - Working from home: Reliability and upstream
upstream
Upload speed
How fast you can send data TO the internet (video calls, uploading files, cloud backups). Often much slower than download speed on Australian connections.
Full definition → matter - Large downloads: CDN peering for Steam, PlayStation, etc.
Don't be afraid to switch
NBN providers have no lock-in contracts (usually). If speeds disappoint, switch. It's your legal right and takes about a week.
Red flags when choosing a provider
- "Unlimited" plans significantly cheaper than competitors — They're saving money somewhere (usually CVC)
- No mention of typical evening speeds — They don't want you to know
- Long contracts — Good providers don't need to lock you in
- "Up to" speeds with no evening speed guarantee — Meaningless marketing
- No Australian support — Offshore support struggles with NBN-specific issues
The bottom line
Yes, your NBN provider absolutely matters. The “last mile” to your home is shared, but:
- CVC bandwidth at your POI determines peak-hour speeds
- Backhaul quality affects consistency
- International links matter for overseas content
- CDN peering makes streaming actually work
- Routing decisions affect latency and gaming
Paying an extra $10-20/month for a well-provisioned ISP often makes the difference between “NBN is terrible” and “NBN is great.”
For Geelong, Surf Coast, and Bellarine: Check Aussie Broadband's CVC graph for the Geelong POI. If it's green, they're a solid choice. Superloop is another good option. Avoid the cheapest providers unless you're okay with peak-hour slowdowns.
Need help with your internet?
If you’re not getting the speeds you’re paying for — or you’re not sure if the problem is your ISP, your NBN connection, or your WiFi — that’s exactly what I help with. I can test your connection, identify where the bottleneck is, and recommend whether switching providers would actually help.
Internet Diagnosis Session
- Test actual speeds vs advertised speeds
- Identify whether the issue is NBN, ISP, or WiFi
- Check your ISP's capacity at your local POI
- Review your plan and usage patterns
- Recommendation for whether to switch (and to whom)
or call 0489 998 445
Related reading
- What is NBN? — The basics of Australia’s National Broadband Network
- FTTP Explained — Fibre to the Premises technology
- Why Your WiFi Keeps Dropping — Sometimes it’s not your ISP at all
This article explains technical concepts based on publicly available information about NBN infrastructure. See our full content disclaimer for important information about our educational content.
Serving Geelong, Surf Coast, and Bellarine Peninsula.
Why Oh WiFi · 0489 998 445 · hello@whyohwifi.com.au