The Albanese Government is delivering on its plan for a better National Broadband Network (NBN), with the completion of the first NBN Fixed Wireless upgrades made possible through its $480 million investment in the network.
Following local upgrades, around 16,000 homes and businesses on the NSW South Coast and the Queensland Sunshine Coast are the first to benefit from access to faster speeds, including typical wholesale busy-hour speeds of at least 50 Megabits per second (Mbps).
Across the two regions, 3,200 premises originally receiving NBN satellite services are now eligible for NBN Fixed Wireless. This is in addition to more than 1,000 premises relocated from the satellite footprint to the fixed wireless footprint in March 2023 under the investment.
The Government’s investment, combined with funding from NBN, will see more than 2,300 fixed wireless sites upgraded across the country, along with greater data limits on Sky Muster satellite services, including uncapped date usage plans – helping to deliver a more connected Australia.
Following the program’s commencement in July 2022, the upgrades to the NBN fixed wireless network will have increased total network capacity by 100 per cent by the end of November this year, and current capacity is expected to double again by the time upgrades are complete in December 2024.
These are the first of many areas across Australia to receive upgrades under the program. By the end of 2024, one million premises in regional and remote Australia and in peri-urban areas will benefit from improvements to fixed wireless services or greater data limits on Sky Muster services.
As well as delivering better busy hour speeds and allowing more homes and business to access the NBN fixed wireless network, the upgrade program includes significant improvements to the wholesale speed plans.
In the coming weeks, NBN Co will start to consult with industry on proposed enhancements to these speeds. This includes two new higher-speed plans that would deliver speeds close to double those originally planned.
