The company may not have a name that many people know, yet the small company does have some great offerings in the NBN broadband space.
However, many of the broadband plans could do with a bit of a freshen up as they have been the same for a while. Many other NBN providers are rolling out faster services than NBN 100, so there is some dust starting to settle on the service.
Besides this, there are other areas where the broadband service provider may be slipping.
In our Belong Internet review, you’ll find out if the company is a worthy option or you are better off going for an alternative NBN provider.
By the end of our Belong broadband review, things should appear a bit clearer than they do in the beginning.
Sign up to Belong and Receive a $20 Credit
Use Coupon Code: IAF14FEZN for your $20 Credit
Is Belong NBN Good?
Belong offers NBN plans at several speed tiers, and choosing one is relatively straightforward.
You have a couple of steps to follow when choosing a new NBN plan.
Choose the speed tier you want:
- Starter plans offer a typical evening speed of 30 Mbps
- Standard plus 40 Mbps
- Premium 80 Mbps
Select your contract
You can choose from a monthly or a 12-month contract. It costs an extra $5 for the monthly and a $60 initial fee for the modem.
Besides this, you cannot get the premium plan on an annual plan, and it is only available on a month-to-month basis.
On offer with Belong are:
- Unlimited data – Yes
- Top speed NBN plan – Yes
- Entertainment package – No
- Call packs – No
- Modem – Yes
- Available across FTTP, FTTB, and FTTN – Yes
- Choice of Contract – Yes
Is Belong NBN Telstra?
Belong is a small broadband internet service provider wholly owned by Telstra. However, the approach to supplying NBN broadband is very different between the two entities.
Telstra takes a complete plan option, and Belong offers simple and easy to understand plans for NBN connections.
Is Belong as good as Telstra?
The network is the same between the two providers, so there isn’t going to be much different in that respect.
Much of the difference comes with the add-on services and what the bundles offer.
To find the differences, you need to trawl through various sections to see what’s on offer and which performs better.
You can find some pros and cons to Belong that appeals to some users.
Pros
Cons
Belong Starter Plan Comparison
Many NMB providers stick to the speed tiers set out by NBN Co, although Belong Starter Plan differs. Instead of offering an NBN 25, it does things a bit differently on its product.
It is here you get your 30 Mbps as a max download speed for typical evening speeds. It is a value for money offer for 1-2 users online at once.
The broadband Belong offers here can cater to gaming and HD streaming, yet two HD content streams can cause it to stutter.
Belong NBN 50 Comparison
The standard plus offers a max download speed of 40 Mbps and can cater to families. It is suitable for general browsing and social media use etc. It can also deal with uploading or downloading large files, streaming HD content, or online gaming.
If you compare this to other providers besides Telstra, it does begin to lag. You will get 40 Mbps maximum typical evening speed from your NBN 50 connection.
Belong NBN 100 Plans Comparison
While on an NBN plan, you’ll only receive an average NBN speed of around 80 Mbps for $95 per month. Besides, you need to pay for the modem, and this premium plan is only available on a month-to-month basis.
When comparing plans Belong has, you can find cheaper service providers, and there are also faster alternatives. There is a strict middle of the road sense for this plan, and it isn’t the most affordable, and it isn’t the fastest.
Contracts
If you don’t want a contract, you don’t choose Telstra and Belong makes the decision easier for unlimited data without a 12-month contract.
Home Phone
Signing to any of Belong’s broadband data plans, and you will receive a free mobile sim loaded with $80 free mobile credit with your modem.
It is usually shipped in a few days, and as soon as you get this sim, you can easily activate your Belong mobile service using the related Belong app.
Value for Money
Unless you search through other providers, you could be mistaken to think Belong is a budget option. In comparison to Telstra, it is, yet there are many other internet service providers that offer more for less.
Features and Extras
Belong doesn’t offer many premium features. It covers the basics such as no-contract options, zero setup costs, unlimited data, and a few benefits for bundling a Belong SIM plan.
Past this, there is little else on offer in the internet plans besides unlimited data. There are no mobile broadband plans, home phone bundles, Pay-TV bundles, or anything else to entice new users.
In addition, if you are looking to upgrade to Superfast or Ultrafast plans, you may find out you are left disappointed.
However, if you are in this market, then you’ll pay a great deal more, and Telstra offers all this and much more. Note, the Ultrafast plan starts at $180 per month.
Customer Support
Once you look at the customer service and the customer satisfaction of the Belong service, things may not be a deal-breaker, yet they don’t offer much confidence either.
You can contact customer service teams via Facebook, phone, and email. Yet, if you’re stuck, there’s no live chat service, phone support, or brick-and-mortar store to get in touch with staff quickly. The customer service again falls in the middle of the road as average for support.
It is the customer satisfaction where the service takes a tumble. Checking reliable sources, in Belong reviews, the services barely reach a score of 2 out of 5 on average from customers, compared to other broadband providers.
Sign up to Belong and Receive a $20 Credit
Use Coupon Code: IAF14FEZN for your $20 Credit
Which NBN Service is the Best?
Here is a quick look at other broadband provider options that are on offer. Each offers plenty of plans, features, and a month plan with no contract. You can also see how these compare in customer reviews compared to Belong.
Aussie Broadband
Unlimited casual plan costs $69 per month. You can use your modem to save on setup costs, and there is no contract.
Aussie Broadband has an Aussie based customer service, and you don’t have any setup or exit fees on the month-to-month plans. (Read our Aussie Broadband Review)
Sign up to Aussie Broadband and Receive a $50 Credit
Use Coupon Code: 2470417 for your $50 Credit
Optus
With a recent revamp of the offerings, you get the starter plan, which begins at $75 per month. Besides this, an Entertainer lite costs $79 per month, and you get a Fetch Mini set-top box.
There are no lock-in periods, yet you have a $99 setup fee and $252 for your modem. Stay with them for 36 months, and the modem fee is waived.
Dodo
All plans come with unlimited data, and there are three NBN plans to choose from. NBN 25, 50, and NBN 100.
Sign up for 12 months, and you can have the modem fee waived as well as the setup fees
MyRepublic
You can discover this internet service provider has created plenty of buzz since 2016. It offers NBN 25, 50, 100/20, and 100/40-speed tiers, with unlimited data as standard.
Aside from these, you have no lock-in with the option to BYO modem. You can also opt for the 12-month contract.
Both month-to-month and 12-month offer the same monthly price, yet if you lock yourself in for 12 months, you can add a standard rental modem for just $1. Choose the no lock-in, and you do have to pay the full modem price.
When you are after a new internet provider, there is more to think about than price alone.
You can find some only offer ADSL in certain regions, and thus, you’ll end up with a subpar experience as a result. One of the best ways to find out is to check customer reviews. These are often non-biased, and a poor belong review will have justification behind it.
Belong broadband fills a need for some users, yet it may not be right for you. Check your location, and then scour through the NBN plans on offer to see what else you can get besides unlimited data.
