NBN Co has recently announced the next phase of the NBN network. This is a $4.5 billion investment to bring Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) to 75% of households. They hope to have this completed by 2023.

Currently the Grenfell Township is serviced by Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology. This gives a maximum speed of 100mbps, depending on distance from the node. The final leg of the network still relies on copper wiring owned by Telstra.

The speed of FTTN can also be affected by the distance you are from the node. Distances of up to 400 meters from the node should allow you to receive speeds up to 100mbps, but not guaranteed. Any further away from the node will allow for speeds up to 50mbps.

By upgrading the final leg of the network to fibre, NBN Co will be able to offer Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). FTTP will allow users of the network to achieve speeds between 500mbps to 1gbps depending on the plan opted by the user.

NBN Co were unable to confirm whether Grenfell will be included in the areas receiving the upgrade. If Grenfell is included it’s important to know that only areas currently serviced by NBN FTTN would be upgraded to FTTP. If you are in an area that relies on mobile broadband or satellite, you will continue to be limited to those services.

NBN Co were able to confirm that when FTTP becomes available letters would be sent to households eligible for the upgrade. Service providers would also contact their clients and coordinate plan upgrades with customers who wish to pay more for the higher NBN speeds.

Currently you are able to pay for the Fibre to the Premises upgrade yourself. This can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. To get a quote you are required to pay a $330 application fee. Currently this is on pause until December. This may be when NBN Co has more information regarding which areas will get the upgrade as part of the investment.

More information regarding NBN can be found in the NBN website or by calling your service provider.