The Hon Michelle Rowland MP
Minister for Communications
The Hon Kristy McBain
Member for Eden-Monaro
Eligible families and businesses in the Queanbeyan-Palerang suburb of Jerrabomberra will be able to upgrade to a full-fibre broadband connection as part of the Albanese Labor Government’s plan for a better National Broadband Network.
These premises are among the 400,000 announced in the latest tranche of eligible suburbs and towns across Australia and right here in Eden-Monaro.
Newly eligible premises will be able to upgrade their NBN service from fibre to the node to fibre to premise, joining the 3 million Australian homes and businesses previously served by a slower, less reliable copper connection that can already access full-fibre upgrades.
The copper broadband network retained under the Coalition is slower, less reliable, more expensive to maintain and more likely to experience prolonged faults. In contrast, world-class fibre broadband means faster upload and download speeds, and a more reliable connection for residents and small businesses.
Access to full fibre is driving productivity savings for households and businesses, with NBN users saving over 100 hours and $2,580 per year by using higher speed broadband.
NBN research shows that the network has delivered $122 billion worth of economic uplift to 2022, and has helped create approximately 169,000 additional jobs – the equivalent of a 1.3 per cent increase in Australia’s labour force.
By the end of December 2023, 75 per cent of premises in the NBN fixed line network will be able to access fibre all the way to their homes and benefit from download speeds of close to 1 Gbps through NBN’s fastest residential plan.
An upgrade will be available on-demand where an eligible household or business takes out a higher speed plan, with no upfront installation cost.
These upgrades have been made possible by the Albanese Government’s election commitment to invest $2.4 billion to expand full-fibre access to an additional 1.5 million premises by the end of 2025.
The full list of suburbs and towns with newly eligible premises can be found here:
www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/more-fibre
The full list of suburbs and towns with newly eligible premises can be found here:
www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers
Eligibility criteria and details on how to apply for NBN’s full fibre can be found here:
Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:
“Affordable, reliable and high-speed broadband is no longer a ‘nice to have’ - it is absolutely essential to work, learn, transact, engage with government services and telehealth.
“For many years, millions of Australians have been held back by slow and unreliable broadband on the ageing copper network.
“We’re getting on with the job of delivering a better NBN. Three million more Australian homes and businesses can now order full fibre due to the upgrade program – and today’s announcement will see another 400,000 premises eligible to order full fibre by the end of 2025.
“The economic benefits that flow from quality broadband are immense. Our investments to upgrade the NBN is a boon for local manufacturing, with tens of thousands of kilometres of fibre produced right here in Australia by local workers.
“The Albanese Government wants to enable the NBN’s full potential, and these upgrades are helping us do just that”.
Quotes attributable to Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain MP:
“Half of some streets in Queanbeyan couldn’t access high speed internet – impacting small businesses, studying and working remotely, and the ability to connect with key services online.
“They were stuck on the copper broadband network – a legacy of the former Coalition Government – which is slower, less reliable and more likely to experience prolonged faults.
“We had local Jerrabomberra resident and small business operator, Margo Sachse beyond frustrated with this and screaming out for improvements for a decade.
“Thanks to the Albanese Labor Government’s $2.4 billion investment to expand NBN fibre access across Australia, Margo now has that high-speed connection.
“As we continue to roll this out, we’re ensuring more people in Queanbeyan-Palerang have access to faster and more reliable internet, which will improve their quality of life and ensure they can seize opportunities in the growing digital economy.”
