The Albanese Government has invested $2.4 billion in NBN Co over four years to give 1.5 million more households and businesses affordable access to full fibre to the premises, including over 660,000 in regional communities.
This is on top of the government’s commitment to ensure the NBN remains in public hands, with legislation introduced just last week to ensure the NBN is not for sale.
Communities across the country are benefitting from high-speed fibre connections, with speeds up to 18 times faster than the average broadband connection over copper.
Only by keeping the NBN in public hands will these significant fibre upgrades continue to be delivered to provide access to affordable, world class broadband speeds.
“Fast and reliable full fibre broadband can be a gamechanger for families and businesses who have struggled with dropouts and slow speeds over copper,” said Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP.
“It’s essential infrastructure in 2024 – not a luxury. That’s why the Albanese Government has invested $2.4 billion to support NBN Co’s fibre upgrade program, and introduced vital legislation to ensure this critical national infrastructure remains in public hands to keep broadband affordable.”
“I encourage households across South Australia to check the NBN Co website to see if you are eligible for a full fibre upgrade to enjoy the benefits of faster broadband speeds at home or work.”
Faster connections also enable South Australians to connect more devices simultaneously, such as smart TVs and home security systems, as we conduct our lives increasingly online.
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Almost 28,000 homes and businesses across the state have already ordered a full fibre upgrade, and demand continues to grow – with Australians using more data than ever.
The local government areas of Port Adelaide Enfield, Playford, Charles Sturt, Salisbury and Onkaparinga lead the way with the highest number of fibre connections.
In addition to those already eligible for an upgrade, a further 13,500 premises across the state, will progressively become eligible for full fibre upgrade by the end of 2025.
Average data usage in Australia has increased 10 times over the last 10 years, with the average home now downloading over 450 Gigabytes per month across 22 internet-connected or smart devices. By the end of the decade demand is forecast to increase to 1 Terabyte per household monthly.
By the end of 2025, more than 10 million premises on the fixed line network will have access to full fibre connections able to deliver speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second.
The fibre upgrades are available on demand when an eligible household or small business takes out an eligible higher speed tier plan.
Adrianne Saplagio is a Content Producer at Comms Room, where she combines her passion for storytelling with her expertise in multimedia content creation. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for engaging audiences, Adrianne has been instrumental in crafting compelling narratives that resonate across various digital platforms.
