nbn rollout gets $3B boost

NBN Co will provide new upgrade paths for 95 per cent of Australian homes and businesses on the fibre to the node network, enabled through an investment with the Federal Government. 

The investment is expected to benefit around 622,000 homes and businesses, with more than 95 per cent of premises having the option to upgrade to nbn® full fibre via nbn fibre to the premises. 

nbn full fibre is faster and more reliable than fibre to the node and enables access to nbn’s fastest upload and download speeds. 

NBN Co announced it will upgrade the remaining fibre to the node network across Australia, backed by an equity investment of up to $3 billion from the Federal Government, in addition to more than $800 million from NBN Co. 

This investment will benefit around 622,000 homes and businesses across the country, with more than half located in regional Australia. It is expected that more than 95 per cent of these homes and businesses will have the option to upgrade to nbn full fibre via nbn Fibre to the Premises. The remaining five per cent require further design work to confirm the appropriate upgrade path.¹ 

Work on the upgrades will start immediately and be completed progressively. The upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of 2030. 

nbn full fibre is faster and more reliable than fibre to the node, which uses ageing copper to deliver broadband services, and enables access to nbn’s fastest upload and download speeds.² For homes and businesses, faster broadband speeds enable more people and devices to be online at the same time with minimal disruptions. This means smoother streaming, faster downloads and uploads, and stronger connections – even with multiple devices online at the same time.³ 

A decade ago, the average Australian home had seven internet-connected devices and consumed around 40GB per month. Today, the average household consumes more than ten times that amount across 22 internet-connected devices. Within the decade, the average monthly download usage is forecast to reach more than 1100GB across around 40 internet-connected devices. 

This investment expands NBN Co’s existing network upgrade programs and commitments to enable more than ten million households and businesses – or around 90 per cent of the nbn fixed line network – access to nbn’s fastest wholesale speeds by the end of 2025.  

NBN Co has already enabled access to these speeds for more than nine million households and business, including more than four million that can now upgrade to nbn full fibre. 

NBN Co said details about specific locations and upgrade timelines will be announced soon, and encouraged people to register for updates via the nbn website: www.nbnco.com.au/check 

NBN Co CEO, Ellie Sweeney, said that this critical investment will deliver access to better broadband for customers in the remaining part of NBN Co’s fibre to the node footprint. 

“Fast and reliable broadband boosts industry, creates jobs, sparks innovation and strengthens social and economic participation. The nation relies on the nbn network. It carries more than 80 per cent of the nation’s data and is used by more than 20 million people each day,” she said. 

“The upgrades will also significantly enhance Australia’s economy. Independent economic modelling by Accenture estimates the economic benefit of upgrading the remaining fibre to the node footprint could increase GDP by $10.4 billion, support 10,000 jobs, and create 4000 businesses over the next decade, leading to more opportunities and growth for communities.⁴ 

“With the growing number of connected devices in Australian homes and ever-increasing data usage, this upgrade investment will enable us to meet the needs of Australian homes and businesses now and into the future and continue to lift the digital participation and capability of Australia.” 

Featured image: NBN Co

Footnotes

1. nbn is committed to undertaking design work with the aim of providing an upgraded wholesale broadband service. 

2. Customer experience on nbn full fibre, including speed, depends on your internet provider, plan, equipment quality and if you use the internet at peak times. 

3. Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn network, depends on the nbn access technology and configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside of nbn’s control (like your equipment quality, software, chosen broadband plan or how your provider designs its network). NBN Co provides wholesale services to phone and internet providers. nbn® wholesale speed tiers available to providers vary depending on the access technology in an end user’s area. 

4. This modelling is based on speed increases forecast by nbn if all Fibre to the Node premises were upgraded to Fibre to the Premises. The actual technology that premises are upgraded to will affect the estimate of speed increases and therefore the economic forecasts presented in this report. The investment is expected to benefit around 622,000 homes and businesses, with more than 95 per cent of them having the option to upgrade to nbn full fibre via nbn Fibre to the Premises.