Price, speed and Elon Musk: why some Australians are ditching the NBN

While politicians argue over who to blame for a decline in Australia's broadband uptake, customers are seeking more affordable ways to get online

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Tens of thousands of Australians are abandoning the national broadband network for 5G mobile and other ways of accessing the internet with experts saying three main factors are driving people away: price, speed and Elon Musk.

Despite the NBN being only a few years past completion, between the end of June 2022 and the end of April 2024 the number of customers in the most common category of services declined by more than 65,000.

Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup