NBN Co Blog

Growing fruit might seem like a simple proposition, but Han Shoing Siah expects connecting to the National Broadband Network will lead to significant benefits for his tropical fruit business.

Siah was quick to sign up for fixed wireless broadband when it went on offer and in fact was the first person in the Northern Territory to receive the service, which was connected in early April.

His family business, Tropical Primary Products, grows mangoes, jackfruit, durian and pomelo at their farm about 60km out of Darwin, and Siah expects several benefits from the video conferencing that the faster services over the NBN will allow.

More and more Australians are connecting to the National Broadband Network and we want to hear from NBN users about how it's changing the way you live and the way you work.

Every day more people are discovering how the NBN can bring education, entertainment, work and communication to the home, along with hundreds of other uses.

At work, small businesses are connecting with customers and partners in new ways, accessing and sharing data with colleagues at other sites, and getting the most out of cloud computing.

We want to hear from you and showcase how your family or business is using services over the NBN.

So far we've found families on the NBN who ask for cooking advice on video conference from their mum for a favourite recipe, kids playing maths and English games with their school friends, and science geeks doing virtual tours of museums around the world.

Maybe we can feature your story on a Youtube video or on the NBN Co blog. Check out our Youtube channel for other families and businesses we have featured.

Brunswick, Gungahlin, Armidale, Gosford, Coffs Harbour, Aspley George Town, Townsville and Hobart, among others, are already connected, along with thousands of people in new estates dotted right across Australia.

Some people living in more remote and out-of-the-way places are also using services over the NBN Interim Satellite or Fixed Wireless services where broadband options were previously limited.

People are doing all sorts of things with the NBN. What about you?

If you want to tell us your story, send us an email at: . Make sure you tell us a bit about how you are using the NBN and don't forget to include your contact details.

Security alarms aren't something most people give much thought to -- usually they're hidden in a cupboard somewhere, and the only time you have to think about them is when it's time to replace the batteries in a roof-mounted motion sensor. 

However, with the rollout of the NBN, the range of home and business security options is becoming much more useful.

The combination of superfast broadband and the availability of inexpensive but advanced security hardware are allowing tech-savvy security companies to make full use of the internet to give home and business owners greater control.

High resolution internet-connected security cameras can allow real-time monitoring and surveillance of homes and businesses, with motion-sensors alerts sent to mobile phones.

Stephen Jones could be described as a telework veteran.

He began working from home in 1995, and since then has teleworked for several employers and now runs his own business from his home at Pretty Beach on the NSW Central Coast.

Jones, who works in the biomedicine field, began teleworking after finding that he was commuting for about four hours a day to get to and from his job in Sydney.

Oyster farmers have to be very careful about when they harvest the bivalves, especially after a storm.

Following a rain storm, bacteria in the water sometimes increase and could be taken up by the oysters, potentially making them unfit to eat. Until now oyster farmers have had to wait up to two weeks before they could harvest again after a good rain - meaning they miss out on orders and income.

But a project by the CSIRO to use environmental sensors linked to a broadband network aims to give the oyster farmers a better idea of when it's safe to harvest.