Last year the government announced a full fibre NBN upgrade for half of the network by 2023. We now know which suburbs are next in line for an upgrade.
NBN Upgrade
The upgrade was first announced in October, 2020. Referred to as a ‘last mile’ upgrade it primarily will convert some older FTTN NBN connections to full fibre.
It’s going to cost around $3 billion, including $700 million for the creation of ‘Business Fibre Zones’ across metro and regional parts of the country. In total the upgrade will be cost around $3 billion.
An addition $400 million is also used for hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) and $100 million into fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) upgrades. This brings the total upgrade plan to about $3.5 billion.
[related_content first=”1523394″]
While it won’t be covering the whole network, even a partial upgrade is a bit of a big deal. This is because a huge chunk of the NBN utilises old copper wire from phone lines and old internet connections to power Fibre to the Node (FTTN).
This is where fibre cables are only run to a centralised node in your area and the remainder of the connection uses copper wire to get to your premises. It’s slow compared to more modern NBN connections such as Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) where the newer tech runs from the exchange straight into your house.
You can learn more about the seven types of NBN connections and how they differ here.
Suburbs getting new upgrade
The first round of suburbs to get the FTTN upgrades was announced last year.
Now 30 more suburbs are getting the upgrade across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. This will equate to around 100,000 homes.
- NSW: Campbelltown, Elderslie, Narellan, Maitland, Singleton, Tarro, New Lambton, Bathurst and Orange
- Victoria: Deer Park, Sydenham, Berwick South, Cranbourne and additional areas of Narre Warren
- Queensland: Albany Creek, Ashgrove, Bald Hills, Ferny Hills, Robina, Burleigh Heads and Townsville
- South Australia: Elizabeth, Gepps Cross, Salisbury and Golden Grove
- Western Australia: Girrawheen, Kingsley, Wanneroo, Canning Vale and Jandakot South
When can I upgrade?
If you’re in one of the roll out areas, NBN Co said last year that it would have more information ‘over the next few months’.
“NBN Co will work closely with internet retailers over the coming months to define the process by which eligible customers can express their interest in ordering a higher speed broadband service and acquiring a fibre lead-in to their premises,” NBN Co said in a media release.
We would recommend checking with your RSP about an upgrade if you’re in one of the above suburbs.
How do I find out my NBN connection type?
If you want to check what kind of NBN you can get now, we have a tool for that. After all, not all NBN connections are created equal.
Just pop in address in you and choose the data amount you’re after. From there the search button will take you to a dedicated page full of customisable plan options.
From there just hover the mouse above the little information bubble and your NBN connection type will be revealed: