One in five nbn customers have markedly increased their pay by securing a better job working from home, according to new Accenture research¹ commissioned by NBN Co.

• 11 per cent of nbn customers working from home had increased their take-home pay by an average of $7,000 annually;
• Seven per cent of nbn customers working from home have started a new business, increasing their take-home pay by an average of $9,000 annually;
• Five per cent of nbn customers working from home were able to secure higher paying jobs, with an average increase in take-home pay of $12,000 annually.

Personal benefits of better broadband

Of the 1 in 3 survey respondents who work from home, 72 per cent reported they could not have done so without the help of the nbn^® network; 53 per cent reported being able to find a better work-life balance as they were travelling less, and 47 per cent said the ability to work from home had led to them being more productive and more successful in their role with less commuting and distractions.

Accenture found that the average nbn customer is saving $2,580 annually by using the nbn network to manage work and personal administration online.

This includes average annual savings of approximately $1,800 in avoided travel costs, $530 on online alternative sources of news, entertainment and education and around $250 in other avoided costs.

According to previous Accenture research, the average nbn user pays $16.90 per week, or $880 per year, for their broadband connection, meaning the relatively modest investment in fast and reliable broadband pays significant dividends through access to higher remuneration and savings in daily expenses.

Overall, 77 per cent of nbn customers who worked from home or used an internet enabled job search platform reported the nbn network had helped boost their employment outcomes.

The research shows that 1 in 3 nbn customers have used the nbn network to access job search websites. Of these, seven per cent reported it had helped them successfully secure a job after having been unemployed, and 25 per cent said it had helped them obtain a better job.

National benefits of better broadband

Accenture estimates that higher average broadband speeds enabled by the nbn network has supported the creation of 169,000 jobs throughout Australia in the ten-year period from 2012 to 2022, equivalent to 1 per cent of Australia’s labour force. Over the forecast period from 2023 to 2030, Accenture estimates that higher average broadband speeds will support the creation of 113,000 additional jobs, bringing the total number of nbn supported employment opportunities to around 282,000 jobs.

Through its network investment plan, nbn is committed to meeting the current and future needs of households, businesses and communities while also promoting digital inclusion and equitable access to affordable and reliable broadband services.

Low-income households also benefited from the nbn network, with 72 per cent of those working from home or using job search platforms reporting a positive experience.

Employment and income outcomes were significantly higher for First Nations people, 92 per cent of whom reported positive outcomes as a result of fast, reliable nbn connections, compared with 77 per cent nationally for people working from home or using job search platforms.

nbn network upgrades

NBN Co’s current network upgrade program has so far enabled more than 8.4 million residential and business premises, or 75 per cent of the nbn Fixed Line network, to access the nbn Home Ultrafast wholesale speed tier, which is capable of delivering access wholesale download speeds to 500 Mbps to close to 1 Gbps^2,3. NBN Co is on target to enable 10.2 million premises, or up to 90 per cent of the nbn Fixed Line network, to access the nbn Home Ultrafast wholesale speed tier by the end of 2025.

In November 2023, NBN Co announced a proposal to increase the potential maximum information rate for the existing nbn Fixed Wireless Plus wholesale plan from up to 75/10 Mbps to up to 100/20 Mbps^2,4,5. This change is planned for implementation in early to mid-2024 and would apply to all Fixed Wireless Plus services across the nbn Fixed Wireless network footprint.

The company is proposing to launch two additional Fixed Wireless wholesale high-speed tiers. Fixed Wireless Home Fast is planned to increase from a potential peak speed of 130/20 Mbps to 250/20 Mbps^2,4,5 and it is estimated that this product will be available to around 90 per cent of the nbn Fixed Wireless coverage area.

Fixed Wireless Superfast would increase from a potential peak speed of 325/20 Mbps to 400/40 Mbps^2,4,5 and it is estimated that this product will be available to around 80 per cent of the nbn Fxed Wireless coverage area. Subject to industry consultation, the company plans to start making these two enhanced speed tiers available from mid-2024.

In December 2023, the company also provided customers in regional and remote Australia access to uncapped internet data use⁵ with the launch of new nbn^® Sky Muster^® Plus Premium satellite plans.

Based on these upgrades and the anticipated uptake of higher speed tiers, Accenture has projected that average download speeds across the nbn network will more than double by 2030, rising to more than 130 Mbps.

Stephen Rue, Chief Executive Officer at NBN Co, said:

“More Australians are choosing higher speed broadband plans to ensure ‘working from home’ works for them.

“Not only is the nbn network supporting people’s employment prospects, but the ability it provides people to work from home full-time or for a portion of the week is helping households save money through avoided travel costs. Less time stuck in traffic, commuting to and from work is also delivering benefits that can’t be measured in monetary terms with more time available to spend with family, friends or engaged in leisure activity.

“Fast, reliable and affordable nbn connectivity provides immediate access to essential online services, maximises employment and educational opportunities and drives productivity and economic growth for the nation.

“Our ongoing network investments are designed to lift the digital capability of Australia, which is essential for keeping our country competitive and socially connected.”
 

Footnotes

1 Research commissioned by nbn. The analysis was specifically focused on broadband delivered to premises (both nbn and non-nbn broadband) and did not seek to measure or take into account the economic or social impact that may have come from mobile broadband. Although mobile networks account for only 13 per cent of downloads across retail nbn, non-nbn fixed and mobile networks in the June quarter of 2023 (ACCC Internet Activity Report for period ending 30 June 2023), the pattern of economic and social benefits set out in this report may change if mobile broadband was able to be explicitly included in the analysis.

2 An end customer’s experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn^® network, depends on some factors outside nbn’s control (like equipment quality, software, and how a retail service provider designs its network) and the nbn technology used for the connection. Speeds may be impacted by network congestion on nbn’s Fixed Wireless network, including during busy periods. Satellite users may experience latency.

3 Regardless of the retail service an end customer purchases, the actual wholesale speeds delivered by nbn’s highest wholesale speed tiers of 500 to close to 1000 Mbps will be less than 1 Gbps due to equipment and network limitations and the peak information rate may fall anywhere in this range. In addition, the HFC Home Ultrafast bandwidth profile downstream service provided to retail providers is a ranged profile with a maximum sustained information rate of 750 Mbps. References to speeds are not end customer speeds; they are wholesale layer 2 peak information rate bandwidth provided to retail providers. NBN Co provides wholesale services to phone and internet providers. nbn^® wholesale speed tiers available to providers vary depending on the access technology in an end users’ area.

4 These are nbn wholesale speed tiers, which nbn provides to retail phone and internet providers. Attainable wholesale speeds are subject to the rollout of network upgrades and some premises will require nbn to complete upgrades to the equipment at the premises.

5 Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn network, depends on the nbn network technology and configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside our control (like your equipment quality, software, broadband plans, signal reception and how your service provider designs its network). Speeds may be impacted by the number of concurrent users on nbn’s Fixed Wireless network, including during busy periods.