Australia Announces $480 Million Upgrade to Regional NBN Network

A detail of an NBN sign at the Brunswick Digital Hub in Melbourne, Australia, on July 24, 2013. Scott Barbour/Getty Images

The Australian government has announced it will spend $480 million ($US358 million) to provide more than a million premises in regional and rural Australia with faster NBN (National Broadband Network) internet speeds.

The upgrade project is expected to boost the speed of the NBN’s fixed wireless network and extend the data caps of the satellite internet service Sky Muster.

Apart from government funding, NBN Co, the operator of Australia’s National Broadband Network, will chip in $270 million from its own funds.

The federal government expects the new NBN investment to extend the fixed wireless coverage by nearly 50 percent, providing an additional 120,000 premises with access to the network.

Speaking to ABC TV, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said that the boost would be a “game-changer” for Australians living in regional areas and allow existing NBN customers to access faster internet speeds.

“This is about better internet for households. It comes on top of all the other changes we made to the NBN,” he said.

“When we came to government, barely 50,000 premises were able to connect to the fixed-line. It’s now 8.4 million ... This is now a focus on people in regional and remote Australia, faster internet for them.”

Under the project, Australians can expect to see top internet speeds increase from 50Mbps to 100Mbs for most premises on the fixed wireless network. And nearly all of the 750,000 premises will be able to enjoy the upgrade.

In addition, 85 percent of the premises connected to NBN’s fixed wireless network could get access to a top speed of 250Mbps.

This photo shows a man using a laptop computer on the street in the central business district of Sydney, in Australia, on Nov. 5, 2018. Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images

Fletcher also said that the NBN upgrade project would result in higher internet speeds during peak hours for existing customers even if they did not order a higher speed plan.

“This means more people can be served by NBN fixed wireless; it means higher-speed services on the NBN fixed wireless network, and it means higher amounts of data can be used by households and business customers,” he said in a statement.

“By using the latest 4G and 5G wireless technology, this upgrade will extend the coverage range from a tower and allow higher-speed services to everyone served by the tower.”

Regarding the Sky Muster service, the communications minister said that people using satellite internet connections would get more data allowance – from 50GB to 90GB per month – in a couple of years.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said that the new NBN investment would lead to a critical upgrade to the network.

“This is another important investment in the NBN that will deliver better and faster internet to Australian households and businesses across the fixed wireless network,” he said.

“With faster internet and more data available, these improved services will directly benefit premises already using NBN fixed wireless and satellite services.”

As of March 10, the NBN network is available to over 12 million premises across Australia, with 8.4 million already connected to the service.