Ahead of next week’s release of the federal budget, the government has announced a $480 million investment into improving the capacity of the NBN network in rural areas. 

The investment in NBN Co’s non-commercial fixed wireless network will see eligible locals be able to shift from the SkyMuster satellite services, and hopefully revel in increased data capacity and network speeds.

For those who aren’t eligible, the shift of other households to the fixed wireless network could see an improvement in their SkyMuster connection through freed up space. 

Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher said that both households and businesses should have access to higher amounts of data, something which has always been limited to rural areas despite most metro areas having access to unlimited data. 

“The upgrade will expand the fixed wireless footprint coverage by up to 50 per cent, enabling 120,000 additional premises to access fixed wireless services instead of Sky Muster satellite services,” Minister Fletcher said. 

The fixed wireless network will see an increased speed of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps), with some being eligible to access 250 Mbps.

In what is known as the ‘network busy hour’, where the network is most heavily used (around 8pm at night) and so is at its slowest, the speed is set to rise from 6 Mbps to 50 Mbps. 

While Member for Parkes Mark Coulton has announced that the electorate is set to benefit from the investment, the eligibility criteria is yet to be revealed and the areas to benefit is so far unmapped, meaning that the improvements across the Western Plains is impossible to measure. 

There will be, however, an increase in average data allowance for those left behind with satellite, with plans set to increase to 55 Gigabytes (GB) in the short term, and increasing to 90 GB once the fixed wireless upgrade is complete in around two years’ time. 

The investment is in response to Recommendation 6 of 12 from the 2021 Regional Telecommunications Review, urging NBN Co to commit to providing ‘holistic upgrades’ to the regional fixed wireless network. 

“The Committee further recommends that NBN Co provides greater value on the Sky Muster satellite product by enhancing peak and off-peak times and data allocations,” the report read. 

Within the investment, the off-peak period for unmetered data for Sky Muster Plus users will be extended from 12am - 4 pm per day from 2022. This 16 hour window is a 10 hour increase from the current period of 1am - 7am. 

Co-founder of Better Internet for Rural, Regional, and Remote Australia (BIRRR) Kristy Sparrow noted that Sky muster Plus users will be able to freely use their connections for the majority of the day, which hasn’t been available since the network was launched. 

Future-proofing connectivity in RRR areas by adopting and funding solutions that plan for future growth and investment in our regions will ensure that RRR regions are not disadvantaged due to their population and postcode,” Ms Sparrow said.  

NBN Co. will commit another $270 million to the network extension.