More than 16k premises hooked up to NBN in next 12 months

MORE than 16,000 Gladstone region premises will be connected to the National Broadband Network within the next 12 months, the company has confirmed.

NBN construction. Picture: Graham Denholm

MORE than 16,000 Gladstone region premises will be connected to the National Broadband Network within the next 12 months, the company has confirmed.

The NBN Co. announced yesterday more than four million Australian homes and businesses are now connected to the service, with 58 per cent in non-metro areas.

Chief executive Bill Morrow said it was on the home stretch of achieving its goal to bridge the digital divide between metro and regional areas.

"Our research shows that this connectivity revolution is spurring rapid growth in the digital economy and regional businesses, which may lead to further migration away from cities to regional hotspots," he said.

More than 10,000 homes and businesses in parts of Agnes Water, Byellee, Calliope, Clinton, Gladstone, Glen Eden, Kin Kora, Kirkwood, O'Connell, South Gladstone, South Trees, Sun Valley, Tannum Sands, Telina, and Toolooa are able to connect to services over the NBN access network.

A further 16,120 premises in parts of Barney Point, Benaraby, Boyne Island, Callemondah, Calliope, Clinton, Gladstone, Gladstone Central, Kin Kora, Kirkwood, New Auckland, South Gladstone, South Trees, Toolooa, West Gladstone and Wurdong Heights will progressively switch on from now until September 2019.

New research revealed yesterday that Australia now ranks 17th among OECD countries, up from 29th in 2012, in terms of equality of internet speed and proportion of people without internet access.

The Connecting Australia report, which was the nation's first social and economic study into the impact of the NBN network, was conducted by data analytics and economics firm AlphaBeta.

It also estimated the NBN network would drive an extra $5.3 billion in additional gross domestic product in regional areas in 2021.