Approximately 700,000 Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) premises will be eligible to connect to full fibre by December 2023. We’re also aiming to provide the opportunity to most homes and businesses in the FTTN and FTTC network to connect to nbn full fibre by the end of 2025.

To be eligible to request an upgrade through this program:

• Your building address has FTTN or FTTC already installed. You can check the technology at your location by checking your address here
• Your building is managed by a Body Corporate
• The applicant will also need to be an authorised representative of the Body Corporate/Owner’s Committee

In addition to the above, eligibility to connect to full fibre will also depend on a number of other considerations, such as (but not limited to) the complexity of the build and environmental factors, which are assessed by nbn on a case-by-case basis.

Once your building’s nbn technology upgrade has been requested, nbn will use the information provided to conduct further assessments for the feasibility of the upgrade.

As the network upgrade is an ongoing and progressive activity, not all homes and businesses in an area may be able to connect at the same time. If your building qualifies according to the criteria mentioned above, but upon checking your address, it appears as ineligible, you can still register your building for updates and we'll notify you when your building becomes eligible.

Some nbn technologies such as Satellite, Fixed Wireless, Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) and Fibre to the Building (FTTB) won’t be eligible to connect to full fibre straight away. You can still check your building address and register for updates so we can keep you informed of any changes.

nbn covers a significant portion of the fibre installation as part of our network investment plan, however a customer co-contribution is also required. The customer co-contribution cost starts at $275 (inc GST) per individual unit/apartment. 

A joint payment will be required for all units/apartments in your building. This fee is payable by the Body Corporate or similar representative body for all the owners.

Any increase to the customer co-contribution is determined after an nbn construction partner has visited the site and determined the exact cost of the installation.  Any costs above the nbn subsidy will be passed onto the customer, in addition to the starting cost of $275 (inc GST) per individual unit/apartment.  

Reasons for an increased cost may include (but are not limited to);

• smaller buildings (approximately 8 premises or less);
• low rise buildings/complexes;
• heritage buildings; and 
• commercial buildings; 
• buildings that necessitate more complex or costly installation methods or materials; or
• buildings with access restrictions.  

If there are any additional costs, a nbn representative will discuss this with your building's authorised representative once the installation plan and pricing is confirmed. You may choose to decline the fibre upgrade without incurring any penalties if you do not agree to the additional costs.

This is an infrastructure upgrade for the entire building. With that in mind, you will firstly need to contact your Body Corporate/Owner’s Committee to gauge their interest, and to see if anyone in your building is interested in upgrading. If they are interested, and the majority of the Body Corporate vote in favour of a full fibre upgrade, an authorised representative from your Body Corporate will then need to register their interest.

Feel free to download our useful PDF below to share with the Body Corporate/residents in your building.

The Body Corporate can agree to include additional service points, such as the basement, roof, carpark, or common areas. These allow internet access for future common area services, such as security and access control, solar power and battery monitoring, water usage management, and video surveillance. Such connections also enable a greater level of automated service for building maintenance.

No. Residents have a choice of providers to connect to nbn full fibre technology. We encourage residents to make the most of the new service as soon as its available.

No. Unlike fibre upgrades to houses, the upgrade to apartment buildings does not require residents to take up a higher plan via their existing phone and internet provider.

As internet providers determine the pricing of the nbn powered plans they offer, we cannot guarantee new plans will cost the same as existing ones. We recommend reaching out to your provider to confirm.

This is an upgrade of existing nbn technology to nbn full fibre (Fibre to the Premises/FTTP). After agreement with the Body Corporate as the owner’s representatives, all units/apartments will have their existing nbn infrastructure upgraded as part of this whole-of-Building full fibre upgrade. Costs are calculated on a per-premises basis for the total number of premises within the building/complex.

If the owner of a unit/apartment in the building declines an upgrade that has been approved by the Body Corporate, the Body Corporate would still have to pay for an upgrade to this unit/apartment which will be included in the overall price.

If the owner does not want full fibre installed, nbn would install fibre up to the closest point available to the outside of the unit/apartment. If the owner later changes their mind or a new owner purchases the unit/apartment, they can sign up to an FTTP plan through their chosen phone and internet provider. nbn would then install the FTTP connection within their premises/unit. Any additional fees to complete the FTTP connection would need to be discussed with their phone and internet provider.

At any point in the process, if your building decides not to go ahead with the installation, you can let us know by contacting your nbn representative (included on the Build Quote). Any applicable cancellation fees and terms are detailed in your Area Switch Agreement.

nbn will install the internal nbn connection box which needs to be positioned next to an existing power source. The nbn connection box enables you to connect your devices (modem/router) to the nbn network via your new full fibre (FTTP) connection.

Once an Area Switch Agreement is executed, an nbn approved construction partner will complete a site survey and produce an installation plan for the full fibre (FTTP) connection. Installation will involve connecting nbn fibre from the street to the nbn supplied equipment within the apartment/unit. Individual apartment/unit access will be required to install and connect the nbn connection box in preparation for activating the full fibre (FTTP) service. nbn will work with the building’s authorised representative throughout this process, who will have complete visibility of the proposed works prior to commencement.

To help minimise disruption, all equipment will be installed as close to the existing equipment or infrastructure as practical. This includes within communications rooms, building risers, connection entry points or other utility areas. Existing cable pathways will be used where available. Alternatively, conduit or ducting will be used externally from the street to the nbn supplied equipment within the building. This can also be used internally to run the fibre along skirting boards or ceiling corners within hallways and individual units.

An nbn connection box will also need to be installed inside each unit/apartment. This will enable internet providers to connect to the new full fibre technology in each individual apartment/unit.

For units without an existing nbn connection that are not on an alternative fibre provider’s network, the full fibre upgrade provides connectivity via nbn’s Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) directly to the unit/apartment. If the resident’s internet service is currently connected to an alternative fibre provider’s network, the installation of the new nbn infrastructure at their unit/apartment will not have any impact on their existing service.

We do not anticipate any planned outages during the time required to complete the works. Units/apartments that have an active alternative fibre connection from a different fibre provider (other than nbn) are not expected to be impacted. If residents do experience an interruption to existing services, they will need to speak to their phone and internet provider.

Once the full fibre installation is complete, we will advise the building’s authorised representative, who will update all residents and owners and advise they can now connect to full fibre. Residents with a current service over the nbn network will need to speak to their internet provider about changing their current plan to FTTP. Tenants who do not have a current service can contact a provider to take advantage of a FTTP plan.

While both technologies can be active, new orders can only be supported on the FTTP service. If residents do order a new plan, they need to speak to their provider to cancel the previous plan to ensure they’re not paying for both.

Once the installation has been completed, please contact your internet provider regarding your phone service. The provider will supply/provision this service over the new fibre.

From the time the installation plan is accepted and returned to nbn, we anticipate that the nbn infrastructure upgrade can take 3-4 months although this may change depending on the complexity of the installation.