Australia's NBN rolls out upgrade to fixed wireless service

NEW DELHI: The National Broadband Network (NBN) company has announced than more than 500,000 homes and businesses in regional and rural Australia will have access to broadband following an upgrade to its fixed wireless service.

Using radio signals from NBN ground stations, the technology delivers fast broadband by transmitting data to equipment inside and outside the home. It is designed to provide access to wholesale speeds of up to 50mbps download and 20mbps upload, which is currently 30 per cent faster than our next best fixed wireless global peer in Ireland.

Unlike mobile wireless services where speeds can be affected by the number of people moving into an area, NBN’s fixed wireless service is designed to deliver fast and reliable broadband to regions which often experience lags and drop-outs.

It is currently available in hundreds of communities across the country including Bendigo and Wangaratta in Victoria; Mackay, Bundaberg, Gympie and Toowoomba in Queensland; Katanning and Pinjarra in Western Australia; Riverland and Adelaide Hills in South Australia; Coffs Harbour, Nowra and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales; North West Coast and Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania; Howard Springs and Berry Springs in Northern Territory.

“By the time we complete the NBN network rollout in 2020, this world-leading broadband service will provide more than half a million homes and businesses living in regional and rural Australia with access to faster internet speeds that rival what their city cousins have available today,” said Gavin Williams, Executive General Manager, Fixed Wireless and Satellite Products.

“Following the launch of Sky Muster, NBN’s first satellite, this milestone is yet another critical part of our plan to help bridge the nation’s digital divide. We’re closer than ever before to being on a level playing field between the city and the bush by providing kids in rural areas with access to digital textbooks, farmers with the latest technology and creating a world of new possibilities for regional small businesses,” he added.

Today’s news follows a recent Akamai report which ranked Australian Internet speeds at 46th globally, demonstrating the need to provide better access to fast broadband for all Australians.

Showing the time it could take to perform online tasks using the new NBN fixed wireless service highlights its potential benefits: