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

This video will show you how to prepare for installation day and make the most of your nbn™ Satellite connection. 
Getting connected in regional locations
Discover how we're helping remote communities make the switch.
Regional and remote information
nbn™ Sky Muster™ Plus
With nbn™ Sky Muster™ Plus, simply select the monthly metered data allowance you need for video streaming~ and virtual private network (VPN) traffic through your preferred internet service provider; everything else will be unmetered.*^ See important notes below.
nbn™ Sky Muster Plus
Download file
nbn™ User Guide
nbn™ Sky Muster™ and Sky Muster™ Plus satellite services
Download (PDF - 2.3 MB)
Download file
nbn™ Preparation Kit
nbn™ Sky Muster™ and Sky Muster™ Plus satellite services
Download (PDF - 5.7 MB)

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 your provider does not have enough network capacity- this can lead to slower speeds and the occasional 'buffering'. 

Power outage information
Talk to your provider about whether your device will work during a blackout when connected to the nbn™ access network.
Find out more
Device compatibility
The rollout of the nbn™ access network will involve new technologies which some existing devices may not be compatible with.
Find out more

Have questions?

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.
Depending on the internal or external locations, the devices installed may differ to the ones shown in the diagram.
Sky Muster satellite diagram

The satellite dish may alternatively be mounted on your roof or gutter.

Satellite broadband is the delivery of broadband data using satellite signals. A small antenna or dish is installed on the roof (or other nbn-approved location) of a home or business to transmit and receive data from a satellite orbiting the earth. The satellite then transmits the data back to a network of satellite ground stations (much larger satellite dishes) and these connect to the internet via your preferred internet service provider.

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 your provider 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 your provider 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 your provider about whether a plan based on a higher wholesale speed tier is available.

• Network congestion: How your provider 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 your provider 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 your provider for further assistance.

Read more on optimising your experience at home.

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.

The existing copper lines and services at your premises will not be altered or changed by an nbn™ Sky Muster™ satellite installation.

In Sky Muster™ satellite areas, premises will have the choice to keep their existing phone service over the copper network active, or switch over to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service on the nbn™ access network through a preferred phone and internet provider – connecting your new phone via the nbn™ supplied equipment. Your provider can assist with your phone and internet services.

Read more about the services that may be affected.

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.
Although most existing services will be replaced by the nbn™ access network, there are some services that should not be impacted. These include those services provided over non-nbn™ fibre networks, some services in some apartment complexes, and some business and Special Services. nbn strongly recommends you contact your current phone and internet provider as soon as possible to find out if your services are impacted. You can also find out more at nbn.com.au/switchoff.
Important notes:

*Exclusions and fair use conditions apply. If you’re accessing your connection via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) all activities will be metered, even those specified above as ‘unmetered activities’. For more information on which internet activities are unmetered and exclusions visit nbn.com.au/skymuster-plus or speak to your internet service provider. For details on fair use conditions, contact your internet service provider.

^For nbn™ Sky Muster Plus plans, nbn may shape traffic for PC and smartphone operating system updates, software/application updates, gaming software updates, peer to peer traffic and any traffic related to applications which nbn cannot identify between 4pm – 11pm to wholesale speeds of 256Kbps.
~Most video streaming is metered, but streaming embedded video content on certain social media platforms is unmetered, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr and LinkedIn.
+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, broadband plan, signal reception and how your service provider designs its network). Wholesale speeds may be reduced if the metered data allowance is exceeded (refer to [nbnco.com.au/skymuster-plus]).  Satellite users may also experience latency.