NBN Co Blog

Stephen Jones could be described as a telework veteran.

He began working from home in 1995, and since then has teleworked for several employers and now runs his own business from his home at Pretty Beach on the NSW Central Coast.

Jones, who works in the biomedicine field, began teleworking after finding that he was commuting for about four hours a day to get to and from his job in Sydney.

Oyster farmers have to be very careful about when they harvest the bivalves, especially after a storm.

Following a rain storm, bacteria in the water sometimes increase and could be taken up by the oysters, potentially making them unfit to eat. Until now oyster farmers have had to wait up to two weeks before they could harvest again after a good rain - meaning they miss out on orders and income.

But a project by the CSIRO to use environmental sensors linked to a broadband network aims to give the oyster farmers a better idea of when it's safe to harvest.

There are three little words that lots of Australian waiting for high speed broadband want to hear...

Ready. For. Service.

Ready for a service over the National Broadband Network that is.

And that is what the people of Toowoomba heard, more often than not, when visiting the NBN Co truck at the Heritage Royal Show recently.

Residents of Toowoomba and many of the surrounding areas are among the lucky Australians who can connect to the NBN right now.

There are both Fibre and Fixed Wireless services currently active in the region, which resulted in many excited residents jumping onboard the truck to find out more.

While keen to get a connection, many truck visitors were unsure of how to go about it.

So let's break it down.

Getting connected to the NBN is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Check NBN Co's interactive map to see if the NBN is available in your area.
2. If the NBN is available in your area, simply look through the list of phone and internet service providers, and give your preferred provider a call to select the right option for you.
3. Your service provider will arrange a time for the NBN Co equipment to be installed and your services activated (a standard installation will be free of charge).

The "home of the future" has long been a pipedream, but the CSIRO says it is not far from being a reality.

The science agency expects that as more homes become connected to fast and reliable broadband, smartphones and tablets and the software they use will become the control centre of the connected home - controlling the services, displaying data and even acting as sensors.

The CSIRO predicts that the home of the future will have enhanced work from home technology, more efficient use of energy and water, monitoring of health, and better educational opportunities, according to a recently released report.

It all relies on fast broadband, the CSIRO says.

Hit the read more link to see the infographic in full.

In my 15 years as a school teacher, I've witnessed many changes to the way we teach in the classroom.

The most profound transformation has been the emergence of digital technology and the availability of high speed, reliable broadband that has empowered PLC Armidale to expand our students' learning opportunities far beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Students now have the opportunity to learn directly from field experts like Dr Bridget Murphy of University of NSW, pictured above giving a lesson in medical pathology using broadband over the NBN.

They can also interact and collaborate with other students who could be based anywhere in Australia, or the world, all without setting foot outside of our school campus in regional NSW.