More than 12,000 residential homes and businesses across the McEwen electorate will be able to upgrade their NBN connection to full fibre for faster speeds and reliability.
Eligible premises in Wallan, Kilmore, Whittlesea, Romsey, Riddells Creek, Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge and Gisborne currently using copper broadband will be able to order an upgrade on demand through their retail service provider once initial construction work is completed by NBN Co.
Other towns across the electorate are not yet eligible to receive the upgrade and the Federal Government expects NBN Co will identify the remaining locations to deliver full-fibre upgrades in 2024.
NBN local Victoria and Tasmania head Emily Peel said the upgrades were part of NBN’s Network Evolution.
“We’re upgrading pretty much every single technology at the moment,” she said.
“By the end of next year there will be 3.5 million Australian homes being upgraded and we’re very excited to be a part of it here in Wallan.”
The Federal Government commited to the $2.4 billion upgrade during the election and Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland was in Wallan on Thursday to view the upgrade works.
“It’s great to see this fibre upgrade happening. These residents are also small businesses. They’re people who are working from home, performing ecommerce and studying from home,” Ms Rowland said.
“They expect to have the best quality broadband, the best reliability, and that’s exactly what this fibre upgrade is delivering, so we’re delighted to be able to deliver this for the good people here in Wallan and across many other parts of the electorate of McEwen.
“I strongly encourage McEwen locals to visit the NBN website to see whether they’re eligible for an upgrade and take advantage of this world-class technology.”
The government’s 2022 Budget included $2.4 billion to enable an additional 1.5 million premises to transition from fibre to the node to fibre to the premises by 2025 – more than 660,000 of which will be in regional areas.
The investments in better NBN will mean close to about 90 per cent of the NBN fixed-line footprint will have access to plans based on wholesale speeds of 500Mbps to close to gigabit speeds by 2025; about 80 per cent of all regional and remote premises will have access to plans based on wholesale speeds of 100Mpbs or more by late 2025; and 93 per cent of all Australian homes and businesses will have access to plans based on wholesale speeds of 100Mpbs or more.
Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said the more people that upgraded to full fibre, the better service for people on satellite or fixed wireless.
“This upgrade to the NBN network in regional Australia will improve internet speeds, narrow the digital divide and unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation and connectivity in McEwen,” he said.
“It is a crucial step towards levelling the playing field, enabling our local businesses to thrive, students to access quality education, and residents of communities like McEwen to enjoy better quality digital experiences.
“By providing reliable and high-speed internet access to regional and remote communities in Australia, we empower individuals, foster economic development, and ensure no one is left behind in today’s highly digitalised society.”
For more information on upgrade eligibility and to register for updates visit nbn.com.au/fibreupgrade.
