As demand for faster, more reliable nbn broadband continues to grow across the ACT and the nation, nbn has commenced the most significant fibre upgrade build in the Territory’s history to enable around 97,000 homes and businesses to benefit from the shift to full fibre.

The build is part of nbn’s national Fibre to the Node upgrade program announced in January 2025 and backed by an equity investment of up to $3 billion from the Australian Government, alongside more than $800 million from nbn, which will see approximately 622,000 premises nationally upgraded from existing legacy copper technology by the end of 2030.^†

It is a landmark step in completing the Territory’s transition to a modern, future-ready fibre network that can sustain the accelerating demands of connected ACT homes and businesses.

Full fibre connections deliver greater resilience and a better customer experience compared to legacy copper technologies, as they are faster to reconnect after storms, floods and fires, strengthening the overall resilience of the network and reducing the need for ongoing maintenance.

ACT households are mirroring a national trend of rising data use and connected devices, with the average home now downloading more than 513 gigabytes of data each month - up 28 per cent since 2022.

The upgrade will almost double the percentage of homes and business across the ACT eligible to order nbn’s highest wholesale residential speeds of up to 2Gbps^, from 50 per cent to over 94 per cent, with more than 150 retail providers offering competitively priced nbn plans.^‡

For homes on full fibre connections, options for faster download speeds mean more reliable video calls, smoother streaming, and minimal disruptions, while for local businesses, faster upload speeds can mean greater productivity, increased upload speeds, and stronger support for digital tools and services.^*

Construction commenced this week in Narrabundah and Symonston and will be progressively rolling out across the ACT, from Mawson, Kambah and Calwell in the south, to Campbell, Holt and Flynn in northern Canberra. nbn will be utilising a combination of existing aerial telecommunications infrastructure as well as building new underground infrastructure in close collaboration with existing water and energy network operators in the ACT.

Ellie Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer at NBN Co, said:

“We’re excited to see construction now underway across the ACT, marking a major milestone in bringing faster and more reliable nbn connectivity to the community.

“Fibre connectivity delivers unmatched reliability, speed, and scalability, supporting the adoption of emerging technologies and meeting the growing demand for high bandwidth applications in the ACT.

“This generational investment and partnership between nbn and the Australian Government will support the ACT’s rapidly growing data needs for many years to come, as the nbn fibre network will be capable of delivering much faster download and upload speeds as they are needed in the future.

“Access to high-speed broadband is a critical enabler of productivity, innovation and economic growth, and these upgrades ensure that ACT homes and businesses can fully participate in the digital economy now and into the future.

“We are delivering these upgrades in close collaboration with our delivery partners and the ACT government to ensure minimal disruption. This is the largest upgrade program we have undertaken in the ACT, and we thank the community in advance for their patience throughout construction.”

What the community can expect

The ACT network upgrade program will use a hybrid construction approach, with most premises connected using new underground infrastructure and some areas upgraded via aerial build where this is the most appropriate method.

To deliver these upgrades, new underground fibre infrastructure will be installed in road reserves, public spaces and private property across Canberra. This significant civil works program will involve activity in local streets, in front of homes and businesses, and some backyards.

nbn will make every effort to minimise disruption and will work closely with relevant authorities to ensure construction is carried out safely and efficiently. Any impacts, such as temporary traffic management or access changes, will be communicated in advance wherever possible.

Once the upgrade work is complete, consumers will need to contact their service provider and place an order to connect to the full fibre network. To stay informed about when upgrades will occur in your area, Canberrans can visit the dedicated ACT fibre upgrade page at www.nbn.com.au/FibreUpgradeACT .

Footnotes

^#Conditions, eligibility criteria and costs may apply. Eligibility criteria may include among other things placing an order for an nbn powered plan based on an eligible wholesale speed tier.

^{^} Service availability including timing will depend on phone and internet providers offering nbn^® Hyperfast and is subject to service qualification and only available where network capacity and equipment permits.

^*Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn network, depends on the nbn access technology and configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside of nbn's control (like your equipment quality, software, chosen broadband plan or how your provider designs its network). NBN Co provides wholesale services to phone and internet providers. nbn^® wholesale speed tiers available to providers vary depending on the access technology in an end user's area.

^†It is expected that as a total more than 95 per cent of the 622,000 homes and businesses across the country will have the option to upgrade to nbn full fibre via nbn Fibre to the Premises. The remaining five per cent require further design work to confirm the appropriate upgrade path.

^‡The number of Retail Service Providers offering nbn^® services varies by location. Not all Retail Service Providers offer services in all areas.

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