NBN upgrades wireless services

NBN, the company rolling out the national broadband network, has upgraded its fixed wireless service, offering 50/20Mbps to homes and business in regional and rural Australia.

The company said that unlike wireless services where speeds can be affected by the number of people moving in an area, this service – which uses radio signals from ground stations – delivers high-speed internet to regions which often experience lag and drop-outs.

The service is available to hundreds of communities including Bendigo and Wangaratta in Victoria; Mackay, Bundaberg, Gympie and Toowoomba in Queensland; and Katanning and Pinjarra in Western Australia.

Services also cover Riverland and Adelaide Hills in South Australia; Coffs Harbour, Nowra, and Wagga Wagga in NSW; North West Coat and Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania; Howard Springs and Berry Springs in the Northern Territory.

More than 500,000 homes and businesses in regional and rural Australia are expected to gain access to high-speed broadband services when the network is completed in 2020.

This upgrade follows the launch in October ofNBN’s first satellite – SkyMuster – into orbit from its launch pad in French Guiana, South America.

This satellite service will provide connectivity to around 200,000 Australians from about mid-2016.