May 17, 2023
The guest speaker at the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s May meet’n’greet was NBN Local community engagement manager Scott Rowe, who explained the new broadband options available for residents and businesses.
Scott is responsible for community engagement across eight Council areas, ie. about 314,000 people, but the KCCI evening was a “coming home” for him in many ways.
He was formerly with the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Development Association for many years, and back in the 1990s worked as a journalist at the South Burnett Times.
Scott said upgrades were on the way for the three ways that broadband is currently delivered:
- Satellite – From July 1, Sky Muster Plus customers on NBN will be able to receive up to 100Mbps download speeds and unlimited data.
- Fixed Wireless – The Federal Government, in conjunction with NBN, have committed $750 million to upgrade every Fixed Wireless tower in Australia. New technology will basically double the line-of-sight reach of every tower, from 14km to about 25km. This will enable some customers to move from Satellite to Fixed Wireless. Two plans will be offered by retail service providers: 100Mbps and up to 300Mbps download speeds.
- Fibre Connect – The Federal Government and NBN are committing $3.4 billion to upgrade fibre connections. There are three types of fibre connections: Fibre To The Node (FTTN), ie. to the local exchange and then delivered by the existing copper network; Fibre To The Kerb (FTTC), ie. to the front kerb and then using the existing copper into the premises; and Fibre To The Premises (FTTP), ie. a direct fibre link into the home or business. FTTP is preferable because it is more reliable, faster and more consistent as it does not rely on the old copper network that could have been in place for decades. By the end of 2023, 75 per cent of homes or businesses across Australia that have a FTTN or FTTC connection will have the option of moving to FTTP (including most of Kingaroy). FTTN customers can opt to go to Home Fast (100Mbs download / 20 Mbs upload); and FTTC to Super Fast (250Mbs / 25 Mbs) however no one is being forced to upgrade their connection. The premium product for business is Enterprise Ethernet, ie. own dedicated fibre into a business which offers speeds of up to 10Gbs/10Gbs.
Scott said NBN Co does not offer speed plans. Residents and businesses should talk to their telcos if they were interested in upgrading their internet connections.
NBN Local was the host for the meet’n’greet, which was held at the KCCI Hub in Kingaroy Street on May 8.
- Related article: NBN Upgrade Available In Kingaroy
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Other Topics
Other speakers at the KCCI meet’n’greet detailed several programs and upcoming events:
- Round 3 of Council’s Façade Improvement grants program is now open for applications. Funding is available on a dollar-for-dollar basis from $500 to $3000. Applications close at 5:00pm on June 9; $75,000 worth of projects were funded in Rounds 1 and 2.
- Round 2 of the KCCI’s Business Accelerator Coaching Program is now open for bookings. There are only 20 spots in the course. Successful applicants meet once a month for six months. Cost is $825, reduced thanks to a KCCI subsidy.
- The Digitrek Regional Roadshow will be at the Kingaroy TAFE campus on May 25.
- Council-promoted events include Lady Sings The Maroons at Kingaroy Town Hall on June 6, Women and Mud in May, an Outdoor Circus for children in the school holidays and Men’s Month later this year.
- The next KCCI Meet’n’Greet will be held on June 20.
- NAIDOC Day celebrations in Kingaroy will be held on July 5.
- The South Burnett Careers Expo will be held at Kingaroy TAFE campus on July 20.
- Kingaroy BaconFest will be held from August 18-20. Organisers are seeking volunteers and in-kind support from businesses. A sign-on desk will be at Kingaroy Shoppingworld from May 16-20. KCCI will again be running a window decoration competition in conjunction with BaconFest.
When will FTTP get upgraded to 5gbps? Singapore already has this..