Ailish Dwyer
16 January 2025, 8:40 PM
On Tuesday 14 January NBN Co announced it will upgrade any remaining Fibre to the Node (FTTN) network across Australia, with an equity investment of $3 billion from the Australian Government.
Just over half of the estimated 622,000 homes and businesses across Australia expected to benefit from these upgrades will be in regional areas.
It is expected more than 95 per cent of homes and addresses will have the option to upgrade from FTTN to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), replacing ageing copper connections between central nodes and individual premises that have inhibited broadband speeds and in some cases contributed to an unreliable service.
Currently, the NBN provides some form of coverage to all parts of Australia either through fixed line network, fixed wireless, or satellite.
Upgrades will improve broadband speed and enable more people and devices to be connected online at the same time.
A spokesperson from NSW Farmers said it was a welcome change.
“It’s critical we see an upgrade, not a downgrade, in connectivity across regional, remote and rural NSW.
“This includes securing reliable broadband for farming communities.
“Reliable connectivity is a need, not a nice to have, and those in the regions deserve to be able to call and connect just as much as our friends in the cities.”
The Better Internet For Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR) team said in a statement that the upgrades were a positive change.
"Fibre to the Premises is globally recognised for providing high-speed, low-latency, secure, reliable, and resilient connectivity, making it the optimal choice for modern internet infrastructure.
"Of the 622,000 premises slated for upgrades, 335,000 are located in regional areas. This is a great outcome, delivering metro grade connectivity and greater equity for regional Australians, as well as fostering much-needed competition in the regional telecommunications sector."
Upgrade timelines and specific locations will be announced soon. In the meantime, you can go online here and enter your address to check your NBN status and register online via the NBN website to receive updates.