NBN Co has reached a major milestone in the upgrade of the nbn fixed wireless network, with around 24,000 homes and businesses across regional Australia now able to access the network for the first time.
The upgrade will see expanded access for around 120,000 homes and businesses, enabling faster and more consistent speeds at the busiest times and the introduction of two new wholesale higher speed plans by the end of the program.
The upgrade is being enabled by a $750 million investment – including $480 million from the Federal Government and $270 million from nbn.
Gavin Williams, nbn Chief Development Officer for Regional and Remote, said the company is committed to delivering fast and reliable broadband to Australians “no matter where they live”.
This involves extending the reach and capability of the nbn fixed wireless network and bringing improved service into rural and regional areas.
“The nbn fixed wireless network is the digital backbone for many regional Australians. With more people living in regional areas, connectivity has never been more important and that is why we are not just responding to existing demand, but also planning for the future,” Mr Williams said.
“We expect that by around the end of 2024, the upgrades we are making across the nbn fixed wireless network will enable around 750,000 homes and businesses to enjoy better broadband, which will allow more people to be online at the same time to work, study, and stream with less buffering.”
All 24,000 premises that can now access nbn fixed wireless services are currently located within the nbn satellite footprint. The locations of the 24,000 premises have been selected based on their proximity to existing nbn fixed wireless towers, with priority given to those located in the most heavily used parts of the nbn satellite footprint.
In February 2023, nbn announced the trial of a new nbn Sky Muster® Plus plan that it hopes will allow it to provide faster speeds and even more unmetered data to satellite customers from late 2023.
nbn also recently announced that an additional one million households and businesses – up to 58 per cent in regional areas – would get access to faster and more reliable broadband, as the rollout of full fibre to the premises continues across the country.