Optus has launched a new range of more affordable Business nbn plans, unveiling a simplified product portfolio and enhanced features designed to better support Australia's small business sector. The move comes as the company reduces the number of its nbn plans and aims to provide greater value for both business and consumer customers.
The refreshed offering, effective immediately, includes business-grade speeds, 4G backup via Wi-Fi 6 modems, and prioritised service levels with rapid fault restoration, all at reduced monthly costs for selected plans.
"At Optus, we're all in for small businesses," said Emma Jensen, Vice President of Small Business at Optus. "We understand that connectivity is the backbone of every business, and that's why we're proud to offer Business nbn plans that deliver business-grade speeds, nbn prioritised fault restoration and built-in 4G backup for further resiliency. Whether you're running a café, managing a retail store or working from home, our new plans are built to help keep your business connected when it matters most."
According to Optus, the new pricing structure is intended to lower the cost barrier for small businesses that "move fast, work hard and can't afford to be offline." All premium features remain, but monthly costs on select plans have been reduced to better support businesses managing tight budgets.
Simplifying choice
As part of the overhaul, Optus has cut the number of nbn plans in its business and consumer portfolios from nine to five, making the choice simpler for customers. Enhanced data allowances across connected devices have also been introduced.
The company is continuing its Bundle Bonus program, which delivers $15 monthly discounts for 12 months when additional eligible services are added. This offer is available to both new subscribers and qualifying existing customers. Optus says this initiative is designed to "reward customers while simplifying billing across multiple services with savings accessible to both new subscribers who add multiple services and eligible existing customers."
Business features
The new Business nbn plans incorporate several business-grade features:
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Business-grade nbn speeds and reliability, including faster upload speeds on select plans
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4G backup connectivity via Wi-Fi 6 modem
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24/7 dedicated business support team
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Service level agreements (SLAs) ensuring 4-hour or 12-hour fault restoration, depending on the plan
The company notes that "business-grade overlays add an enhanced service-level agreement (eSLA) that promises restoration within a set number of hours depending on what plan is chosen and is free of charge." For small businesses where every minute counts, the assurance of a rapid response to outages is a key differentiator.
Optus also emphasises the importance of 24/7 specialist support for businesses, compared to the standard or extended business hours available to residential customers. The business plans' upload capacity is designed to meet the needs of workflows such as cloud backups, large design files, and real-time collaboration.
For resilience, business-grade routers include automatic 4G fail-over. This means staff can continue taking payments and serving customers even if the fixed NBN link is disrupted.
Consumer plan upgrades
Alongside the business-focused changes, Optus has also updated its consumer NBN portfolio. The number of consumer plans has been streamlined from nine to four, all including Wi-Fi modems.
In addition, monthly data allowances for tablets and mobile broadband plans will increase to 30GB for $25 per month. A new monthly content credit of $20 is also being introduced for subscribers to certain consumer NBN plans, to be used towards streaming subscriptions via SubHub.
Eligible consumer NBN customers on HFC and FTTP connections will see automatic speed upgrades at no extra cost, beginning in September.
The new Business nbn plans are available immediately, with Bundle Bonus discounts applied from the first billing cycle for qualifying existing customer accounts.