Wednesday, 3 July 2024

NBN fixed wireless gets 400Mbps boost for regional Australia

Regional Australians are set to benefit from faster fixed wireless NBN internet, reaching up to 400Mbps download speeds as part of a $750 million network upgrade.

More than 700,000 homes and businesses across the country are expected to gain access to the faster wireless internet by the end of 2024. Using a combination of government funding and NBN Co investment, fixed wireless towers are getting upgrades alongside new technology and software improvements.

As a result of the in-progress upgrades, wholesale speeds for Fixed Wireless Plus increased from 75Mbps downloads and 10Mbps uploads to 100/20Mbps. Two new speeds are also coming: Fixed Wireless Home Fast and Fixed Wireless Superfast.

NBN Co plans to make Fixed Wireless Home Fast – capable of up to 250/20Mbps – available to as much as 90% of the area covered by the wireless network. Meanwhile, up to 80% will gain access to Fixed Wireless Superfast, reaching up to 400/40Mbps.

Better connectivity for regional Australia is NBN Co’s main objective with the upgrades. Particularly to support remote healthcare, work and learning, while making it easier to stay in touch with friends and family.

“Regional Australians are using more data than ever,” said Gavin Williams, NBN Chief Development Officer – Regional and Remote. “We’re delivering the fastest wholesale NBN Fixed Wireless speeds we’ve ever offered to regional Australia, including two new higher speed tiers for homes and businesses with ‘heavy’ or more ‘intensive’ internet usage requirements.”

It won’t just be a simple flicking of the switch for NBN Fixed wireless customers, however. Those wanting better speeds will need a recent version of the Wireless Network Termination Device, the antenna that receives the internet signal. Customers upgrading to one of the new plans will receive an upgraded unit from the NBN.

How much does NBN fixed wireless internet cost?

Depending on which telco you choose, wireless internet starts at around $70 per month. As is usually the case, most retailers offer a discounted six-month introductory period. Here are the current fixed wireless deals available:

As for the two new plans, they’ll start rolling out soon, so we’ll have a better idea of pricing in the coming months. Check with your internet provider in the meantime if you want access to faster speeds.

NBN Co has also been busy bolstering fixed line connections, with plans to boost NBN 100 plans to 500Mbps speeds, while opening consultation about multigigabit speeds.

Meanwhile, Japan set a new internet speed record, reaching 402,000,000Mbps in an engineering test. One can dream…

Read more internet news on GadgetGuy

GadgetGuy occasionally uses affiliate links and may receive a small commission from purchased products.

The post NBN fixed wireless gets 400Mbps boost for regional Australia appeared first on GadgetGuy.


0 comments:

Post a Comment