iiNet chief executive David Buckingham says the massive popularity of internet services like Netflix means current broadband plans will not be sustainable under the national broadband network unless the company building it drastically slashes prices.

Netflix is a video-on-demand service that has seen a surge in popularity among Australians since its launch in March. Internet service providers like Singtel-Optus and iiNet are not charging customers for the data used by Netflix as both a marketing tool and a way to prevent bill shock for users.

iiNet CEO David Buckingham said he'd "like to think that NBN will tackle the problem" before consumers are slugged with exorbitant fees. Credit:Christopher Pearce

But the service consumes a huge amount of data because it offers constant streaming of high-definition videos to several devices simultaneously – an issue some claim would make it unaffordable under the NBN's current pricing arrangements.

"The whole industry is running around trying to deal with [Netflix]," Mr Buckingham told Fairfax Media. "We got 6-to-12 months' worth of [data] growth in six weeks. Nobody can forecast that. This is an unprecedented shift in the market that no one anticipated."