NBN Co will provide new upgrade paths for the remaining homes and businesses across Australia on the Fibre to the Node (FTTN) network, enabled through an investment with the Australian Government.

The investment is expected to benefit around 622,000 homes and businesses, with more than 95 per cent of premises having the option to upgrade to nbn full fibre via nbn Fibre to the Premises. nbn full fibre is faster and more reliable than FTTN and enables access to nbn’s fastest upload and download speeds.

NBN has announced it will upgrade the remaining FTTN network across Australia, backed by an equity investment of up to A$3 billion (€1.8bn) from the Australian Government, in addition to more than A$800 million from NBN Co.

This investment will benefit around 622,000 homes and businesses across the country, with more than half located in regional Australia. It is expected that more than 95 per cent of these homes and businesses will have the option to upgrade to nbn full fibre via nbn Fibre to the Premises. The remaining five per cent require further design work to confirm the appropriate upgrade path.

Work on the upgrades will start immediately and be completed progressively. The upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of 2030.

nbn full fibre is faster and more reliable than Fibre to the Node, which uses ageing copper to deliver broadband services, and enables access to nbn’s fastest upload and download speeds. For homes and businesses, faster broadband speeds enable more people and devices to be online at the same time with minimal disruptions. This means smoother streaming, faster downloads and uploads, and stronger connections – even with multiple devices online at the same time.

A decade ago, the average Australian home had seven internet-connected devices and consumed around 40 gigabytes per month. Today, the average household consumes more than ten times that amount across 22 internet-connected devices. Within the decade, the average monthly download usage is forecast to reach more than 1,100 gigabytes across around 40 internet-connected devices.

This investment expands the Company’s existing network upgrade programs and commitments to enable more than 10 million households and businesses – or around 90 per cent of the nbn fixed line network – access to nbn’s fastest wholesale speeds by the end of 2025. The Company has already enabled access to these speeds for more than 9 million households and business, including more than 4 million that can now upgrade to nbn full fibre.

Details about specific locations and upgrade timelines will be announced soon.

Ellie Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer at NBN Co, said: “This critical investment will deliver access to better broadband to customers in the remaining part of our Fibre to the Node footprint. Fast and reliable broadband boosts industry, creates jobs, sparks innovation and strengthens social and economic participation. The nation relies on the nbn network. It carries more than 80 per cent of the nation’s data and is used by more than 20 million people each day. The upgrades will also significantly enhance Australia’s economy. Independent economic modelling by Accenture estimates the economic benefit of upgrading the remaining Fibre to the Node footprint could increase GDP by $10.4 billion, support 10,000 jobs, and create 4,000 businesses over the next decade, leading to more opportunities and growth for communities. With the growing number of connected devices in Australian homes and ever-increasing data usage, this upgrade investment will enable us to meet the needs of Australian homes and businesses now and into the future and continue to lift the digital participation and capability of Australia.”