Sky Muster Plus is a bit like paying for a premium economy seat on a plane, it costs a bit more and you'll get a slightly better experience, but don't expect first class, or even business.
Unlike other NBN Co wholesale internet services, the Sky Muster satellite service has regulated the data allowance that a dwelling can access, meaning the largest Sky Muster plan generally peaks at 150 gigabytes of peak data usage each month.
For the average worker, small business or farm office based in the family home, this data has to be shared across schooling, entertainment and other daily uses with the rest of the family.
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Speaking at the launch in Dubbo this week, NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue said the total data allowances on Sky Muster Plus plans had not increased, however they could free up an estimated 30 per cent of data, through the un-metering of essential services such as email, banking, text web browsing and social media.
Under existing Sky Muster plans, once a data allowance is reached all internet is shaped, or slowed, to a crawling 256 kilobits per second. Mr Rue said the new Plus plans would allow unmetered services to remain usable at the purchased speed of up to 25 megabits per second.
Unfortunately common business activities such as video conferencing, cloud based back ups and software will continue to be metered.
Mr Rue said he recognised technology requirements on farms and in small business was increasing.
"Precision agriculture, measuring soil, security of farms, locating animals in the field, is where technology is driving agriculture," he said.
"We are conscious of the need to drive the benefits of NBN through the community. We will continue to speak to rural and regional Australia around ensuring jobs and things like agricultural technology is serviced."
Mr Rue said the SkyMuster Plus announcement should be seen as the first step in an evolution of the satellite service.
"It certainly will provide a lot better service to some people."
Information on the SkyMuster Plus plans can be found on the Better Internet for Rural Regional and Remote Australia website.
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