Today, the NBN is getting a huge upgrade. Here’s what you need to know

2 hours ago 3

From today, the NBN is getting its biggest speed upgrade ever.

In changes that were first announced in March last year, NBN download and upload speeds are set to skyrocket for users on fixed-line connections. Many plans today will double or triple in speed at no extra cost to consumers, though the changes may take a few days to work through as providers like Telstra and Optus work through the changes. Here’s what you need to know.

What are the changes?

The speed upgrades will automatically be applied to NBN customers with fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connections, and on plans of download speeds of 100 megabits or faster. Under the changes, 100 megabit download plans are going up to 500, 250 megabit plans are going to 750 and 500 megabit plans are going to 1000, with upload speeds also ramping up.

More than 2.1 million Australians are on those plans, according to the latest statistics from the competition and consumer watchdog. To check what technology your home is on now, enter your address into the NBN website.

Some providers such as Telstra, Optus, TPG and Aussie Broadband have confirmed they will start making the new speeds available immediately, while others such as Dodo and iPrimus say they won’t be available until October.

Do I need to do anything?

The short answer is no, at least for customers who are already on NBN’s Home Fast, Home Superfast or Home Ultrafast plans and have a router that’s not too old. Broadband providers such as Telstra and Optus are facilitating the upgrades behind the scenes, and no work at your property is required. Your internet will get faster automatically. You can check with your provider what speed you’re on by looking at your bill or your account details on your provider’s website. If you’re not on one of those plans you should consider upgrading, if you can afford to do so.

Before the election, the Albanese government pledged $3 billion worth of upgrades to “finish the NBN”. The speed upgrades are possible thanks to billions in funding from the federal government to upgrade the network from the previous Liberal government’s mixed technology model.

You do also need to make sure that your home broadband equipment can keep up. NBN recommends you update your modem about as often as you would your mobile phone, especially if it’s older than five years. Older routers with older technology, such as Wi-Fi 4, will be able to deliver speed of only about 100 megabits per second. If you want the best speeds, of up to 1000 megabits per second, consider upgrading to a router with Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7.

If you have a larger home or areas with weak signal you should also consider using Wi-Fi extenders or mesh systems to help boost coverage. These tools – such as Eero, TP-Link DECO or Netgear Orbi – are now commonplace and could help eliminate dead zones and ensure a strong connection in every room.

How is it free?

Before the election, the Albanese government pledged $3 billion worth of upgrades to “finish the NBN”. The speed upgrades are possible thanks to billions of dollars in funding from the federal government to upgrade the network from the previous Liberal government’s mixed technology model. Former prime minister Tony Abbott once said 25 megabit NBN speeds would be “more than enough” for the average household: today, the download speeds possible will be 1000 megabits.

“Our existing investments in HFC and FTTP upgrades have laid a solid foundation for NBN to begin to unleash faster speeds and greater capacity, without NBN incurring or requiring any major additional capital investment,” an NBN Co spokesman previously said.

What are the benefits?

Users can expect far quicker downloads, more reliable Zoom calls, and streaming with less buffering.

For Australia as a whole, the nation can expect to quickly climb the global speed rankings, and to gain economic benefits associated with that.

Australia recently ranked a lowly 75 on Speedtest’s global speed rankings, one place above Uzbekistan and just below Oman, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Jamaica, with customers reporting an average of 88 megabits per second. Expect this number to jump as customers upgrade plans or automatically have their speeds bumped up.

Economic modelling from consulting giant Accenture, commissioned by NBN Co, found that for every 1 megabit per second in average broadband speed, Australia’s productivity-driven GDP rose by 0.04 per cent on average between 2012 and 2022, an uplift worth about $122 billion to the economy.

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