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

A PC Gamer sitting at a desk with his back to the camera with both arms in the air cheering.
(Image credit: Getty Images / StefaNikolic)

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.

SIGN UP NOW & SAVE AU$120!

Keen to try GigaComm's premium service for yourself? Sign up before October 31, 2022 and you can score AU$20p/m off any plan for the first 6 months—a saving of AU$120! 

Simply use the discount code SPECIAL20 to sign up here.

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

Availability of GigaComm internet service in Sydney as at July 2022

(Image credit: GigaComm)

Melbourne availability

Availability of GigaComm internet service in Melbourne as at July 2022

(Image credit: GigaComm)

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.

1. Work more productively. 

Whether you’re working with cloud-based office applications, sharing (and syncing) large files or video conferencing with colleagues, not having fast and reliable internet means you’ll be distracted by performance issues at best, or unable to perform critical tasks at worst. 

2. Connecting multiple devices concurrently.

According to Statista.com, the average number of internet-connected devices in an Australian home in 2019 was 18.1. This figure is expected to almost double to 35.6 devices by 2024. Many devices’ bandwidth requirements will increase too.

3. Streaming without buffering and drop-outs.

Australians are among the world’s highest adopters of large UHD 4K TVs. When you combine this with the explosion of streaming video content, spread across multiplying streaming services—and the accelerating quality enhancements to video and audio that comes with them—it’s fair to say that fast and reliable internet is a key requirement for TV watching nowadays.

4. Better business performance. 

GigaComm offers dedicated business internet plans (with Service Level Agreements and prioritised support) along with business-grade telephony services for demanding home offices and small-to-medium businesses. Having internal support teams being able to interact with their own network infrastructure ensures issues can be quickly identified and faults fixed more quickly… at more competitive rates, too!

5. Content creation, curation and streaming. 

It used to be design professionals (and their large multimedia files) that needed fast internet and bandwidth the most. However, explosions in video content creation and streaming across major platforms like Amazon, Twitch, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube now make superfast internet a basic necessity for content creators.

6. Staying in touch with friends and family. 

Nowadays, even the most Luddite members of your social circle can easily make hi-res video calls from their smartphone. On the one hand, this means its never been easier to keep in touch with loved ones and address isolation issues. On the other, the reliance upon bomb-proof internet to achieve this has never been greater.

7. Easy access to online services and professional tools. 

Whether you’re utilising Microsoft Office in a web browser, editing video in the cloud or dealing with massive game updates, the web’s tolerance for delays has collapsed. More complex web apps mean you now need speed and reliability to meet basic, functional expectations.

8. Multiple screens, multiple uses (without the trade-offs). 

Both wired and mobile devices are supporting higher-and-higher resolutions, leading to an increased demand for UHD content. Add to this the modern norm for household members to watch (at least) two screens simultaneously, and you’ve got an environment that needs an increasing amount of networking headroom, in terms of both speed and bandwidth, just to operate smoothly.

9. Protecting your memories and managing your digital records. 

People who haven’t lost data simply haven’t lost data yet. Everyone needs offsite backup for proper protection, and only superfast internet upload speeds will allow this without impacting your regular internet usage.

10. Smarter homes for better living. 

The technologies behind smart home devices are becoming increasingly accessible, secure and useful. Whether it’s Amazon Alexa adjusting the lighting, adding a video doorbell for security, or using IoT medical sensors to monitor a poorly relative, these devices all need a stable, reliable internet connection just to function.

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

Swipe to scroll horizontally
PostcodeSuburb
2000Sydney
2000Haymarket
2009Pyrmont
2010Darlinghurst
2010Surry Hills
2011Elizabeth Bay
2015Alexandria
2015Eveleigh
2016Redfern
2016Redfern
2017Waterloo
2018Roseberry
2020Mascot
2021Centennial Park
2022Bondi Junction
2038Annandale
2039Rozelle
2043Erskineville
2047Drummoyne
2060McMahons Point
2061Kirribilli
2061Milsons Point
2064Artarmon
2065St Leonards
2065Crows Nest
2065Wollstonecraft
2067Chatswood
2093Balgowlah
2093Manly Vale
2095Manly
2127Sydney Olympic Park
2128Silverwater
2130Summer Hill
2131Ashfield
2134Burwood
2137Breakfast Point
2137Cabarita
2137Concord
2138Rhodes
2140Homebush
2140Homebush West
2142Holroyd
2150Parramatta
2160Merrylands
2204Marrickville
2205Arncliffe

Victoria

Swipe to scroll horizontally
PostcodeSuburb
3000Melbourne
3002East Melbourne
3003West Melbourne
3004Melbourne
3006Southbank
3008Docklands
3011Footscray
3031Flemington
3031Kensington
3032Ascote Vale
3039Moonee Ponds
3051North Melbourne
3053Carlton
3066Collingwood
3067Abbotsford
3121Cremorne
3121Richmond
3122Hawthorn
3123Hawthorn East
3124Camberwell
3141South Yarra
3142Toorak
3143Armadale
3144Malvern
3149Mount Waverley
3161Caufield North
3162Caufield
3168Notting Hill
3181Prahran
3181Windsor
3182St Kilda
3205South Melbourne
3207Port Melbourne