The average home connected to the National Broadband Network has gone from facing four hours a week of slow internet due to congestion to 12 minutes in the last three months.

The improvement is thanks to aggressive discounts from the NBN Co to telecommunications companies, which has encouraged retailers to increase the provided bandwidth for each customer.

NBN Co figures show weekly congestion has dropped from almost four hours three months ago to 12 minutes in February. Credit:Louie Douvis

Congestion is typically a problem for households during the evening when lots of people are heading online to stream video content and browse the internet. This leads to slow speeds.

The NBN Co says having low bandwidth is like driving on a motorway with one lane open. In light traffic cars pass through quickly, but in rush hour there is congestion unless more lanes are opened.