Armidale in New South Wales is the first region in mainland Australia to have migrated completely to the NBN network.
Work in the city began in 2010 with migration to the NBN occurring progressively since May 2014. The final legacy disconnection occurring at the end of January 2016.
The final disconnection means around 12,000 residents and businesses in the town now have access to faster broadband through the NBN, with another 2,000 premises in the outlying areas also having access through fixed wireless technology.
nbn spokesperson, Kelly Stevens, said “Armidale was the first area in Australia to connect and now they’re making history again by being the first to complete the transition.
“This is a very exciting and proud moment for nbn as it really shows that we’re well on our way to connecting 8 million homes and business by 2020.”
Ms Stevens said Armidale is a good example of utilising the NBN network for the benefit of the region.
“It has developed itself as a centre of excellence in education and promoting digital business through the availability of high speed broadband. Its long term strategy for growth also centres on supporting business development and digital enterprise,” Ms Stevens said.
“The hard work in Armidale has been recognised, after it was named by the Global Intelligent Community Forum as one of the worlds’ 21 Smart Communities of 2016.”
Armidale is now in the running for the Intelligent Community of the Year that will be announced in June 2016.
Nearly 1.65million homes and businesses throughout Australia are able to connect with 756,000 already enjoying the benefits of fast and reliable broadband through the NBN network.