NBN build '99 per cent complete'

The company building the National Broadband Network says it has hit its yearly targets a month early.

Australian Communications Minister Paul Fletcher. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch

The company building the National Broadband Network says the network build is 99 per cent complete, with the company reaching its end of financial year targets a month early.

In a statement to The Australian, communications minister Paul Fletcher said that 11.5 million homes and business could now access the NBN network, with the build almost fully complete despite recent bushfires, floods and COVID-19.

The remaining 1 per cent of addresses, described as 'complex connections' such as culturally significant and heritage sites, will be completed as soon as practicable he said, with bushfires and the coronavirus delaying some connections. Some 80 per cent of those would be completed by the end of 2020, the minister said.

“The resilience the NBN has shown in recent months, with more people working and studying at home, underlines the network’s strength and adaptability. The NBN has cemented its place as the nation’s digital backbone for productivity, connectivity and social cohesion," Mr Fletcher said.

“In 2013 our government inherited an NBN which was a failing project, with barely more than 50,000 fixed line premises connected. We committed to a turnaround – with the NBN to be rolled out four years more quickly and for $30 billion less than under Labor’s plan – and we have delivered. 11.5 million premises are now able to connect, the volume rollout is 99 per cent complete and almost 70 per cent of NBN customers are on 50Mbps or higher plans.

“Over this period NBN’s financial performance has steadily improved, with 2019-20 revenue forecast at $3.7 billion and the company planned to be cash flow positive by 2023-24."

NBN Co will provide formal advice to the minister later this year that the build is complete . The minister will then order a technical network assessment from NBN Co, which will then lead to the project declared build and fully operational under the NBN Companies act.

As The Australian reported last week, NBN Co is extending the extra capacity it's giving for free to providers until August, with Australia's internet usage remaining high even as COVID-19 lockdowns lift.

Peak downloads are still about 12 per cent higher than their pre-COVID levels.

“We are proud to have supported the telecommunications industry and the nation through this pandemic as Australians increasingly relied on their home broadband connections for work, study and entertainment,” NBN Co's chief customer officer Brad Whitcomb said in a statement.

“Alongside this capacity boost, we also increased data download limits for Sky Muster satellite customers and announced up to $150 million of financial relief and assistance packages to help keep low-income households and small and medium businesses facing hardship stay connected.”

“While we must all remain vigilant to keep the spread of COVID-19 contained, we are encouraged that social distancing restrictions are easing and many Australians are starting to enjoy a more normal way of life again.”