The Andrews Labor Government is boosting internet speeds in Melbourne's outer suburbs and parts of regional Victoria.
In partnership with providers NBN Co, OptiComm and Swoop, the Labor Government is delivering faster broadband to more than 130,000 businesses and households over the next three years, through the $250 million Connecting Victoria broadband program.
The speeds will be increased through new and upgraded digital infrastructure in more than 180 locations, including 150 areas in regional Victoria.
An extra 2,000 kilometres of fibre will be installed, as well as the 1,000 kilometres of fibre already being rolled out over the next three years - almost the distance between Melbourne and Cairns.
For more than 40 Victorian towns including Baw Baw, Cann River, Talbot, Toolangi and Merino the new infrastructure will give them access to fixed wireless services for the first time, delivering significantly faster speeds than currently available through satellite internet services.
Two of Victoria's regional tourism hotspots - Mount Buller and Marysville - will soon have access to faster and more reliable wholesale broadband speeds of around one gigabit per second, which is significantly faster than satellite services currently available.
Fast and reliable broadband will also be made available to about 15,000 businesses across the state, with 15 new business fibre zones., with
These broadband projects build on the $73 million already invested to improve broadband connections across 54 suburbs and mobile services upgrades in more than 1,000 sites as part of the $550 million Connecting Victoria Program.
NBN Co will be delivering the vast majority of the broadband upgrades through a $195.4 million agreement with the Labor Government.
All fibre funded through the program is due to be rolled out by mid-2025, with some locations being able to connect from mid-2023.
The Labor Government's Connecting Victoria program is fast-tracking better mobile and broadband in as many places as possible. To find out more, visit vic.gov.au/connectingvictoriaExternal Link.
As stated by Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford
"Better connectivity means Victorians can access the internet more easily for work, study and in their daily lives, which in today's digital world, it's no longer an option, it's a necessity."
As stated by NBN Co Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Will Irving
"Through this co-investment with the Victorian Government, we are significantly enhancing the digital infrastructure in Victoria that will support the needs of homes and businesses now and into the future."
As stated by Opticomm Chief Executive Officer Geoff Aldridge
"We appreciate and welcome the opportunity to invest alongside the Victorian Government, enabling superior FTTP broadband connectivity over Uniti/Opticomm's expanding network footprint to improve the lives and digital inclusion of households and businesses in outer suburban and regional Victoria."
As stated by Swoop Chief Technology Officer Tom Berryman
"Swoop is excited to be partnering with the Victorian Government to solve telco challenges and help close the digital divide for households and businesses."
