Latest news with #NBN Co
News.com.au
12-08-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
NBN homes using 508GB data monthly, up 13 per cent
Data use has increased more than 10 per cent in Australian households in the past year, as half a million new NBN connections have been installed in 12 months. NBN Co released full-year financial results on Tuesday that show an accelerating thirst for data. More than 8.63 million homes and businesses are connected to the NBN network, and the organisation makes on average $50 per month from each residential user, a figure that has increased $3 this past financial year. 'These results demonstrate that our strategy of upgrading our network to full fibre and other leading technologies is delivering for customers, businesses and the nation,' chief executive Ellie Sweeney said. 'Almost 9.8 million premises can now order our highest speed residential products, and by the end of December this year, that will grow to more than 10 million premises or 90 per cent of our fixed line network.' The average NBN-connected premises uses 508GB of data a month, up 13 per cent on last year. NBN Co's financial results show revenue has grown 4 per cent (to $5.7bn) and pre-tax earnings rose 8 per cent to $4.2bn. NBN Co's investments would lift the 100Mbps wholesale speed offering to 500Mbps in September, Mr Sweeney said. 'Looking to the future, it is NBN's aim that our 500Mbps wholesale speed tier becomes Australia's most popular NBN plan. And thanks to our investments in the latest technologies and network upgrades, we expect to lift average fixed broadband speeds across the nation.' In January, the federal government announced it was investing $3bn, to go alongside NBN's $800m spend, to get the remaining 622,000 premises on copper connection onto fibre by 2030. 'We are on track to complete the initial five-year Fibre Connect program on time by December 2025 and on budget,' Ms Sweeney said. NBN Co has shaved 5 per cent of its operating expenses this year – attributed to 'disciplined' cost-efficiency initiatives – without recording a single 'serious' health and safety incident. The organisation also cut capital expenditure by 7 per cent (to $3.5bn) as major infrastructure and capacity works were completed. In May, NBN Co was named the most sustainable public sector entity in the southern hemisphere by the 2025 Corporate Knights Global 25 Most Sustainable Public Sector Corporations in the World index. The award criteria included greenhouse gas emissions, inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, and the social impacts of company operations.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Hopes joint NBN Co–Amazon satellite internet will transform remote connectivity
Australia is set to get another satellite internet provider in 2026, giving SpaceX's Starlink some long-awaited competition. Government-owned NBN Co has partnered with Amazon to roll out high-speed broadband using 3,200 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites from Amazon's Project Kuiper. Starlink already has about 7,000 operational satellites providing internet to remote parts of the country. With Amazon entering the game, there will soon be more than 10,000 LEO satellites focused on delivering high-speed internet — and that is not counting all the other satellites in orbit. The new service is expected to launch in 2026, and NBN Co says it will offer a major upgrade in speed and reliability for people currently using its satellite network. Since Sky Muster launched in 2015, ongoing issues with its reliability and performance prompted many internet users to switch to Starlink, which quickly became a popular provider thanks to its LEO satellites. The transition from Sky Muster to LEO satellites has sparked hopes that a bit of competition might finally benefit regional users. NBN Co's chief development officer for regional and remote services, Gavin Williams, said the partnership would benefit new and existing customers. He said the new venture with Amazon would replace NBN's Sky Muster, which is currently just two satellites 36,000 kilometres into space. "The Kuiper constellation will be 3,200 satellites, so a lot more satellites, and in round numbers will be around 600 kilometres from Earth," he said. Mr Williams said this would greatly increase the speed of the internet for up to 300,000 customers. "If your home-based classroom's offline, you can't just pop the kids down to school. "If your online shop doesn't work, you can't just pop down to Woolies down the street. "It's literally and figuratively a lifeline for customers in remote WA." For remote areas, such as the Shire of Yalgoo, CEO Ian Holland said satellite technology was important for emergency services. "A lot of our area historically hasn't been covered by anything other than a really slow-to-connect sat [satellite] phone," Mr Holland said. "We've had some investment for Starlink units for our fire trucks, and I know that other emergency services such as WA Police and St John have been rolling out LEO equipment as well. Mr Holland said that while competition between companies would be a win for consumers, the night sky was already getting crowded with satellites. Staying connected wherever we are comes at a cost. "From a night sky perspective, we can already look up and see the trails of these objects flying through," Mr Holland said. "I think that's the reality of where technology is going within this space."
