BARKER GETS MAJOR FUNDING BOOST FOR NBN FIXED WIRELESS SERVICES

The electorate of Barker will have access to a significantly more capable NBN network following a $480 million investment by the Morrison Government in the 2022-23 Federal Budget.

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin, said the investment in the NBN was a welcome decision by the Morrison Government.

“Regions like ours across Australia made their voices heard through the Regional Telecommunications Review – telecommunications matters for every community, including ours, and this is very much a welcome investment in the region’s future,” Mr Pasin said.

“Having access to reliable and high speed internet can really make a difference for people in our community, whether that be families connecting with loved ones, to business owners selling goods here and overseas.”

“This upgrade will see NBN offer new higher speed services to the fixed wireless network to nearly 36,000 premises in Barker.”

“With faster internet and more data available, these improved services will directly benefit premises already using NBN fixed wireless and satellite services, and particularly the regional businesses with active fixed wireless services in Barker, producing extensive economic opportunities.” Mr Pasin said.

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the investment in NBN Co’s non‑commercial fixed wireless network will significantly improve the quality of services being provided over the NBN fixed wireless and satellite networks.

“By using the latest 4G and 5G wireless technology, this upgrade will extend the coverage range from a tower, and allow higher speed services to everyone served by the tower,” said Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP.

This upgrade means much higher actual speeds during the “network busy hour” – the time of day when the network is most heavily used, typically around 8:00 pm at night. The network design metric for the busy hour today is 6 Mbps; this will rise sharply following the upgrade, to 50 Mbps. This means customers will benefit even if they do not order a higher speed plan, as they will experience a sharp increase in the actual speed of their current plan.

This upgrade also means big benefits for NBN satellite users. Because some existing NBN satellite customers will move to fixed wireless, this will free up capacity on the satellite network.

As a result, NBN Co will be able to offer an almost immediate increase in average data allowances for NBN Sky Muster satellite users. Average monthly data allowances for standard Sky Muster plans will increase to 55 Gigabytes (GB) in the short term, increasing to 90GB once the fixed wireless upgrade is complete in around two years’ time.

For more detail on NBN Co’s fixed wireless network, visit https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/network-technology/fixed-wireless-explained

ENDS