THE HON MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
THE HON STEPHEN JONES MP
ASSISTANT TREASURER
MINISTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES
MEMBER FOR WHITLAM
ALISON BYRNES
MEMBER FOR CUNNINGHAM
MEDIA RELEASE
Nearly 66,000 households and businesses in the Illawarra and Southern Highlands are now able to access upgrades from less reliable copper to world-class, full fibre broadband over the National Broadband Network, thanks to investments from the Australian Government.
Upgrades in New South Wales mean one million premises across the state can now upgrade from slower copper connections to fibre-to-the-premises.
Fibre is capable of delivering speeds 18x faster than the average broadband connection over copper, and is less likely to drop out or degrade.
This milestone means more Illawarra and Southern Highlands residents than ever before can enjoy faster speeds while streaming, gaming and working from home, and builds on the Albanese Government’s commitment to deliver high speed broadband and keep communities connected.
Following NBN Co’s initial construction work, fibre upgrades are available on-demand at no installation cost when an eligible household or small business takes out an eligible higher-speed plan.
Average data usage in Australia has increased 10 times over the last 10 years, with the average home now hosting 21 internet-connected or smart devices.
NBN Co is currently consulting with industry on a new plan to turbocharge speeds available over the network. The plan would give customers who upgrade to full-fibre speeds of up to 500Mbps, at no extra wholesale cost.
Upgrades to full fibre access are continuing across the country, with the Albanese Government investing $2.4 billion to expand full-fibre access to an additional 1.5 million premises – including over 660,000 in regional communities.
Upgrades to the network will enable more than 10 million homes and businesses to access NBN Co’s fastest residential speed plan by the end of 2025.
Check if your property can receieve full fibre by visiting: https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/more-fibre#checkaddress.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland MP:
“Fast and reliable full-fibre broadband unlocks greater social inclusion and economic productivity. It’s essential infrastructure in 2024.
“This is a fantastic milestone for one million households in NSW who have been saddled with slow and unreliable copper technology rolled out by the former Liberal-National Government.
“Access to this technology is vital for families who have had to struggle with drop outs and slow speeds over copper.
“I strongly encourage households to check the NBN website to see if you might be eligible for a full-fibre upgrade”.
Quotes attributable to Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones:
“Our government’s investment to expand full-fibre broadband access is a gamechanger. It means Illawarra and Southern Highlands households and businesses can receive faster broadband speeds while working, streaming their favourite shows or gaming.
“Having a fast, reliable internet connection is essential these days, and I encourage our community to check the NBN website to see whether they’re eligible for an upgrade.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Cunningham Alison Byrnes:
“This announcement builds on our commitment to deliver high speed broadband and keep communities connected, as we know in this day and age, unreliable internet can have devastating impacts on local business and communities.
“This is great news for the nearly 66,000 households and businesses in the Illawarra and Southern Highlands who will now have access to speeds 18x faster than the average broadband connection.”
ENDS
