Regional NSW homes are set to get a fixed wireless NBN boost, now that the NSW government has signed a $50 million agreement with NBN Co.
The co-investment has been called “one of the largest ever digital infrastructure investments by the NSW government,” by Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole.
The announcement comes two weeks after the state government announced plans to build 30,000 EV chargers across NSW between now and 2026, and obviously comes in the lead up to a state election. Voters will go to the polls on March 25.
It also comes two weeks after NBN Co announced that one million more homes would be getting NBN upgrades and almost a year after announcements for major fixed wireless and satellite NBN upgrades across the country.
In effect, the latest agreement will see the construction of 56 new and co-located fixed wireless towers, providing faster internet connections to “more than 11,000 homes”, according to the announcement.
Fixed wireless is a type of NBN that involves sending the internet across wireless signals, without the need for end-to-end fibre optics or copper wiring. It’s typically slower than the internet you could potentially get from FTTP, HFC or even FTTC connections through the NBN, but it is typically faster than ADSL connections.
It’s the kind of internet that’s largely deployed to regional and rural Australian homes and businesses, although in some cases, Sky Muster satellite NBN is also used.
Anyway, this commitment by the NSW government comes under the ‘Gig State’ project, which itself is a subsidiary of the ‘Regional Digitial Connectivity’ program. The Gig State project is set to improve NSW’s internet service, speed and quality for rural and regional NSW communities. $100 million was allocated for the project, with additional agreements to follow “in the coming months”.
“Our focus with Gig State is to improve services for communities who can currently only access a satellite internet connection, such as Wilcannia in the Far West, Kundabung on the North Coast, and Goolgowi, Hay, Pleasant Hills, and Yerong Creek in the Riverina,” added Toole.
“From working and learning from home, accessing remote healthcare or enjoying online entertainment, people in the bush are just as excited about the possibilities presented by access to fast and secure broadband as those in metro areas,” NBN chief development officer (regional and remote) Gavin Williams said.
NBN Co has begun planning the locations of the 56 regional fixed wireless sites, and towers are planned to roll out between now and the end of 2025.