NBN Co chief executive Stephen Rue says the national broadband network is and will stay the “digital backbone of the nation” even as competitive threats circle from private investors, international billionaires and other telcos.

New nationwide infrastructure schemes like Telstra’s $1.6 billion fibre-and-satellite project, Bevan Slattery’s Hyperone network and Elon Musk’s low-orbit. satellite play Starlink are the most prominent developments aiming to give internet users a better experience than currently possible on the NBN.