The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
Member for Fenner
Faster NBN arrives for thousands of Canberrans
Thursday, 12 November 2026
Thousands of Canberra homes and businesses can now access faster, more reliable broadband as the Albanese Labor Government's latest major National Broadband Network (NBN) upgrade gathers pace.
Construction activity has begun for more than 38,000 ACT premises serviced by fibre-to-the-node technology with more than 2,000 ACT premises now eligible for full-fibre NBN upgrades, and another 2,000 expected to become eligible by the end of 2026.
This is the first wave of a major investment to replace ageing Fibre to the Node copper connections with full fibre for around 97,000 homes and businesses across the ACT by 2030.
The upgrade will deliver faster speeds and fewer interruptions, making it easier for Canberrans to work from home and run businesses online.
The demand for better broadband keeps growing. ACT households now download an average of 503 gigabytes of data each month, a 28 per cent increase over the past three years.
Australian homes currently have an average of 25 connected devices, with that figure expected to reach 44 by 2030.
Full-fibre connections can deliver speeds up to 18 times faster than the average copper broadband connection, with greater reliability.
By December 2030, around 94 per cent of ACT premises are expected to be capable of accessing gigabit broadband speeds, roughly double the current proportion.
The investment is part of the Albanese Government's commitment to upgrading the NBN while keeping the network in public ownership.
Fast, reliable broadband is essential economic infrastructure. Better connectivity boosts productivity and gives Australians greater flexibility in how they work.
Canberrans can check their eligibility at: https://nbn.com.au/FibreUpgradeACT
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister and Member for Fenner Andrew Leigh:
"Canberra is a city of big ideas. We shouldn't be trying to squeeze them through ageing copper wires.
"The spinning wheel of doom has overstayed its welcome. These upgrades will mean fewer frozen video calls and faster downloads.
"Every dropped connection is wasted time, whether you're running a small business or working from the kitchen table. Better broadband means better productivity.
"Labor built the NBN, and we're finishing the job. We're replacing yesterday's copper with tomorrow's fibre, while keeping the network in public hands."
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