Faster internet for 300,000 more homes, says NBN

NBN Co has announced the next group of suburbs that will be receiving fibre upgrades as a part of their network improvement program. More than 300,000 homes and businesses in the suburbs will become eligible for broadband speeds up to 1000mbps as a result of the upgrades. 

Since completing the initial NBN rollout, NBN Co has been focused on completing upgrades around the network with a particular focus on increasing the amount of households and businesses using a fibre to the premises (FTTP) connection. 

Currently only FTTP connections and select HFC connections are eligible for the NBN 250 and NBN 1000 speed tiers. Households with other connection types can only access the lower speed tiers, however NBN Co are working to get 2 million homes on the network upgraded to FTTP connections by the end of 2023. 

The newly announced suburbs that will be receiving the upgrades are spread across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia. The 300,000 eligible premises revealed will bring the total of announced households receiving the upgrade to 1.4 million.

The current upgrades are focused on customers currently served by a fibre to the node connection, however NBN Co plan on extending the program to households with a fibre to the curb connection next. You can check your current connection type and any upgrades planned for your area over at NBN Co’s website. 

Upgraded homes still need to opt into faster plan

While customers with an FTTP connection are able to access the two highest household speed tiers on the NBN network, they’re also able to access any of the other tiers. 

Being connected via an FTTP connection means a household is eligible for the NBN 250 and NBN 1000 speed tiers if that internet plan suits your needs, however you can stick with your current plan or any of the lower speed tiers should you wish. 

As your speed tier increases, the price of your plan will likely increase, so finding the right speed tier for your needs can help you get the most out of your internet. 

It is also unclear just when NBN Co will get around to upgrading the fibre connections in the newly announced suburbs, however they noted that customers would be able to access the higher NBN speed tiers “by 2023”. 

Looking for home broadband in your area? Head over to our broadband hub to compare plans and providers in your area, or view some popular NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans below.