The NBN is getting its biggest upgrade ever. Most people have no idea
What's happening?
From September 14, NBN is ramping up speed tiers for homes and businesses on fixed-line connections, with many plans set to double or triple in speed at no extra cost to consumers. NBN calls the new speeds a 'monumental leap forward for the NBN network and Australia'. The upgrade is unrelated to a deal announced on Tuesday for Amazon to deliver NBN satellite broadband.
To be specific (and slightly technical), 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. These are big jumps and should mean noticeable improvements... As long as you have the gear to take advantage of them. To compare, when the NBN rollout began in 2011, the average household broadband speed was just 9 megabits per second. By the end of this year more than 10 million homes and businesses will be able to access speeds up to 2000 megabits per second.
Who's getting the upgrades?
The NBN uses different types of technology depending on where you live. If you're connected to the NBN with fibre to the premise (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) technology you can benefit from the upgraded speeds. To check what technology your home is currently on, enter your address into the NBN website. Customers on plans below 100 megabits or connected via fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the curb (FTTC), fixed wireless, or satellite technologies won't get the upgrades.
Will 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. The upgrades are happening behind the scenes, and no work at your property will be required. Telcos will start automatically increasing the speeds of their plans from mid-September, and most have said they will do so without any extra cost to consumers. If you're not sure what plan you're on you should check: many Australians are on 'Home Standard' plans, which are 50 megabits per second and won't be getting the speed upgrades. 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.
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