Blistering speeds, super-low latency: true gaming-grade internet has finally hit Australia

It may surprise younger gamers, but Australians once regarded our hopeless internet as something of a badge of honour. Being forced to play against Americans on US servers with 300+ pings developed a set of heightened senses that elevated skillsets and made any (improbable) win all-the-more delicious.

Lag is undeniably the bane of all online gamers, and despite a big investment in broadband infrastructure over the last 10 years, many Australian gamers have been disappointed in the outcome when it comes to consistent speeds and low latency.

On the NBN, in most online games you can count yourself lucky if your ping gets below 20ms—all the while knowing that your overseas opponents’ pings could be on a fraction of that. 

Many Australian broadband options simply aren’t up to scratch for gaming. One particularly revealing indication of this is that several major Aussie internet providers now offer ‘gaming optimisation’ plan add-ons, which promise to give you better ping times… so long as you’re willing to fork out an extra monthly fee.

The frustration is real—but for those based in central Sydney and Melbourne, there’s now a viable alternative.

Introducing GigaComm

GigaComm is a new face to Australia’s internet industry. However, it’s not just another provider that resells NBN connections—like say Optus, TPG, Aussie Broadband or Telstra. It operates its own infrastructure that’s based upon fibre and specialist wireless technologies—the latter on its own dedicated, licensed spectrum. This means it can offer much better download speeds, ping times, network reliability and even pricing than rivals.

Perfect for gamers: fast downloads, super-low pings

GigaComm offers ultra-fast speeds, with up to 1,000Mbps downloads and 100Mbps uploads. Unlike plans on the NBN, these aren’t theoretical maximums which are only available at certain times of day—what you pay for is what you get!

So, if your mates tell you to get online for a quick scrim and you’re faced with the perennial gamer headache of having to download a surprise, gargantuan game update, you won’t have to leave it ‘til another day.

Meanwhile, typical latency with GigaComm is just 2-4ms—around three to five times faster than the average of 11.3ms for NBN connections, as measured by the ACCC in August 2022. That means the bane of lag can be finally banished! No more losing to n00bs head-shotting a hitbox that’s only being displayed in another time zone, and no more being exterminated by an opponent’s MOBA hero before they even appeared on your screen.

Such performance is also naturally transformative for live streamers. If you’ve wanted to get into hosting your own live streams, or to boost the quality, reliability and immediacy of your existing ones, GigaComm has you covered with plenty of headroom for simultaneous, upstream-and-downstream online broadcasting.

What are GigaComm’s other benefits?

Unlike NBN providers, there’s no need for GigaComm to liaise with NBN Co should a support issue arise. Because GigaComm owns and operates its own network – from connection point to billing system—any failures can be more quickly identified and dealt with. Consequently, the Australian pastime of watching NBN Co and your provider going through multiple rounds of finger-pointing is eliminated.

 GigaComm's support team is also 100% Australian-based and is on hand to assist customers all the way through, from initial connection and setup through  to any potential ongoing needs. 

Owning and operating its own infrastructure also means that GigaComm can offer very competitive prices. By not being slugged with NBN wholesale prices (which are then passed on to the customer) GigaComm can set whatever price it chooses.

Check the alternatives and you’ll find that GigaComm’s prices are great value on a per-megabit basis.

How much does GigaComm cost?

GigaComm internet plans are available on both a no lock-in, month-to-month basis or a 24-month discounted contract.

Plan prices range from AU$79p/m for 200/50Mbps, AU$149p/m for 400/50Mbps, or AU$169p/m for 1,000/50Mbps. All include unlimited data, and you can optionally double your upload speed to 100Mbps for just AU$20p/m extra.

Unusually, month-to-month pricing doesn’t come with a price hike: there are just two differences. Firstly, there’s an up-front AU$125 installation fee. Secondly, you don’t need to factor-in a bundled router—you can use your existing model and keep all the gaming-related network optimisations you may have added to it (provided that your router supports high speeds). 

The 24-month plans only differ in that AU$125 the installation fee is waived.

Where is GigaComm available?

Being a relatively new provider, GigaComm internet is currently rolling out to selected areas of central Sydney and Melbourne. 

You can check the heatmaps below to see if you're in the current coverage area (accurate as at July 2022), and then enter your address here to check full availability—or, if you're not in a coverage area, to get notified if and when the service does open up to your suburb. 

See the appendix at the bottom of this article for a full list of Sydney and Melbourne suburbs where the service is rolling out.

Sydney availability

Melbourne availability

10 more reasons to choose GigaComm

Not all Australians are gamers, but a whopping 17 million of us claim to be. Recent events like the pandemic also mean many Australians are relying on their domestic internet for work and social needs too. So, if you’re still not decided, here’s some more food for thought.

With so many good reasons to choose GigaComm internet, it’s actually hard to find reasons NOT to make the switch! 

Even so, GigaComm is offering an additional sweetener: sign-up before October 31, 2022 and you’ll receive AU$20p/m off any plan for the first 6 months! Just use the special code: SPECIAL20 and sign up here.

List of NSW and Vic suburbs where GigaComm is currently rolling out

New South Wales

Victoria