Just how long will you have to wait until the National Broadband Network (NBN) becomes available in your area? Find out with this up-to-the-minute list of expected launch dates.
Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
The NBN is not happening in a hurry. Right from when it was announced back in 2009, the build prediction was at least seven to eight years, and 2015 is often mentioned as a likely date for completion of the main network. So while we’re all happily brawling over details of the rollout and poring over the pricing that has been announced so far, the process is very far from complete.
In the list below, drawn from data from NBN Co, we’ve specified the first likely point when the NBN will be available in a given area. This is based on taking the date when construction work starts and adding 12 months, which is the rough approach NBN Co recommends. So take notice: it’s a best estimate, not a commandment written in stone. As such, there are two important caveats: it’s entirely possible that availability might happen earlier if construction proceeds well, and it’s a certainty that not every home in a given area will have availability on this date.
NBN rollout is happening in stages. There’s not a single switch-on date that covers all of a single town or locality, since network building continues after services have first become available, reflecting when fibre passes near your house. Plus, plans change with a project of this magnitude. You can get a better idea of the areas covered on the NBN Co rollout maps (note: link to big PDF file). (This list doesn’t include rollouts where NBN Co has done deals with developers to roll out fibre-based services throughout a given development.)
We’ll regularly update this list with new information as it comes to hand. Share ideas, corrections and thoughts in the comments.
Launched
Armidale, NSW
Kiama, NSW
Townsville, QLD
Willunga, SA
Midway Point, TAS
Scottsdale, TAS
Smithton, TAS
Brunswick, VIC
May 2012
Sorell, TAS
Triabunna, TAS
July 2012
Deloraine, TAS
St Helens, TAS
August 2012
Coffs Harbour, NSW
Dapto, NSW
Port Augusta, SA
Port Elliot, SA
Yankalilla, SA
September 2012
Jamberoo, NSW
George Town, TAS
October 2012
Richmond, NSW
Penrith, NSW
Goodna, QLD
Toowoomba, QLD
Modbury, SA
Prospect, SA
Bacchus Marsh, VIC
November 2012
Darwin, NT
Aspley, QLD
Mandurah, WA
December 2012
Lidcombe, NSW
South Morang, VIC
Geraldton, WA
January 2013
Blacktown, NSW
South Hobart, TAS
Launceston, TAS
February 2013
Sawtell, NSW
Stirling, SA
Applecross, WA
March 2013
Townsville City, QLD
Casuarina, NT
Aldinga Beach, SA
April 2013
Gosford, NSW
Long Jetty, NSW
Seaford / McLaren Vale, SA
Ballarat Central, VIC
Meadow Springs, WA
Pinjarra, WA
May 2013
Kingston Beach, TAS
Somerset, TAS
Tullamarine, VIC
South Perth, WA
June 2013
Strathfield (Homebush), NSW
Nudgee, QLD
Melton, VIC
July 2013
Riverstone, NSW
Wollongong, NSW
Strathalbyn, SA
Melbourne City, VIC
SkinHead
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:06 PMWA – Weird – Ignore the business districts and concetrate on remote suburbs and a few country locations. Mining boom here and we get crap all where we need to use it
Grim
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:30 PMBusiness districts/parks should already have fibre. I’m thinking Osborne Park, the CBD and Curtin’s Tech Park but there should be plenty of other locations.
They’re starting out in Vic Park, South Perth and Applecross for the metro area. I guess that’s all feeding off the same point of presence. Unfortunately for me I’m not rich/lucky enough to live near there =\
simon
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 5:39 PMSouth Perth had FTTH installed by Western Power when they installed the underground power. Can’t understand why they’re not buying it from the company that currently owns it.
Craig
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 12:06 AMThe business part of Osborne park is probably well covered, but, as far as I’m aware, the options for residential aren’t great. I live in a small apartment complex, and there are no nearby exchanges, and the existing infrastructure is pretty full up. I had to work to get an ADSL capable line connected, and the speed topped out at around 3MB, since I was about as far from the exchange as I could be. Ended up switching to Vivid Wireless.
downunder
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:12 PMI guess Tassie has again fallen off the bandwagon after the big fanfare start
Christian
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:30 PMummm TAS gets the most! look harrrder
boris
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:26 PMSo where is Victoria Park on this list? Vic Park is stage 2 of NBN and the rollout for Vic Park is supposed to start November 2011 so its completion date should be on this list.
Sam
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:13 PMWhat about places like Sydney City? Am i looking like at least 2014 before i can get better than my crappy ADSL1 speeds.
Lord Crumplebottom
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:32 PMWhen country/rural areas can get $29.95 ADSL2+ plans then we’ll have a cry over Sydney.
Senexx
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:15 PMWell so far none of those are anywhere near me in rural NSW.
Lord Crumplebottom
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:23 PMWhat’s with the 6+ month break from the rollout in Armidale to the next rollout? Oh, and the “rollout” in Armidale didn’t include all of Armidale either.
Thanks for the half-assed job again Julia…
Bill
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 9:21 PMAll of armidale will be completed – august-October 2012 next year
Blake
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:26 PMWhat is the service radius of these hubs will be?
I mean say I’m a suburb or two over from the WA south Perth site, will I still be able to get it?
Ben
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:28 PMBlake, look at the pdf. Orange show the coverage area.
Blake
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 6:15 PMthanks, on the phone at the moment but will look at it when I get home.
Ben
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:26 PMAwesome that we roll it out to people 7 people per town at a time rather than thousands in main areas.
Possible rolling it out to places where there is a density and an actually requirement rather than a political one will mean it can be making money before it is finished? This it turn will mean people paying today will be funding rollouts tomorrow rather than a massive capex.
Wilma Dicphit
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:59 PMAgreed, there is so much controversy over the cost so why not roll it out to capital and metro areas initially where the uptake will be by far the greatest and have it start paying for itself sooner rather than later
Nick
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 5:54 PMBlame the independents for the roll-out in rural and regional areas as a priority. That was a condition of them siding with the Labor party.
Bill
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 9:23 PMarmidale was picked 8 months before the election
are you saying tony windsor and labor knew the result in 8 months advance
thetick
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:34 PMWhy leave out the ACT?
Just buy Transact and get it over with.
We have new suburbs going up at a great pace. Greenfield install means no inconvenience to people. Plus we have multiple suburbs that are pair gained.
Service the cities first and start getting serious customer numbers.
This Government is truly ridiculous.
Liam
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 1:52 PMACT has at least one area in the next batch of roll-outs.
It’s not the NBN that’s leaving out the ACT, but lifehacker.
Mikey
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:37 PMI’d like to see this mapped to marginal Labor electorates. Seems highly correlated.
Luke
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:44 PMHmm… I wonder why that is?
Labor aren’t going to let Liberal seats have first access to NBN considering how much opposition there is from them.
If i were Labor i would make sure that Tony Abbott’s electorate is the very last site that the NBN is rolled out to.
Rossco
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2:53 PMThere is no way this will be finished by 2015. North Brisbane was meant to be one of the first rollout locations and we have 2 suburbs being done up to 2013…
Alex
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:03 PMSA really gets only Prospect and Modbury the rest is just pure waste of $$$ with their low population majority of them would not even know what to do with that link…
Barry
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:07 PMThere doesnt’ seem to be any logical pattern with this rollout. They seem to be picking places with a dart.
Jason
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:08 PMSee Mikey’s comment above…
willy
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:09 PMThanks for this list. I am signing up with bigpond to get ultimate cable in melbourne now. By the time they roll out nbn in my area, some new technology will replace nbn! NBN, what a waste of tax player money.
Lord Crumplebottom
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:15 PMIf you say laser beams then I’ll have to punch you.
Nick
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:26 PMGive the Govt some credit. Rolling out to regional areas was always the plan – firstly Tassie and the bush is where fibre will make the most difference to people and therefore win votes, and secondly the rural independents made it a condition of their support that they do it this way. I don’t think it is particularly correlated to ALP electorates – the Nats hold a lot of the rural areas that are being rolled out first – although I don’t doubt it will help the ALP in Tassie in particular (and probably already did at the last election).
Martin
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:28 PMlooks like VIC gets screwed over for almost two years before new areas are serviced by the NBN. looks like I will be waiting for almost 20 years before it finally reaches my area. it took nearly 5 years from the launch of adsl2 before I could finally get it (even then it was a piggy back on telstra).
Cameron
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:34 PMI’m assuming this is going to ramp up over time? It seems rather, um, slow that schedule. I understand only doing a few sites at once to begin with in order to iron out problems and such, but surely they’ll have dozens of suburbs on the go at once when they start going full swing?
Rafe
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 3:58 PMThe rollout in Brunswick covers a single block – 95% of residents don’t have it. I’m assuming their connections in other areas are the same.
JonBOY
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:11 PMNo sign of Newcsastle. I guess that’s what we get for being a safe labour seat.
Brendan
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:23 PMCan I just say, with no disrespect intended, that the new LH site is a shocker. It looks very current, etc, but the homepage doesn’t high-light the stories like the old one did. It doesn’t even work properly with all the white spaces where stuff either appears in various browsers but not mine (latest Chrome) – or hasn’t been completed it. Turn the old one back on please! I don’t come to LH to see CSS3 on show – I come to read stories – and the new site is making me less interested in reading them.
mike
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:23 PMwtf my area isnt listed… 10bucks says itll be the last place they do…
nbn are hunter valley haters lol
warcroft
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:34 PMThis roll out is going to take years!
Marco
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:39 PMWhat a crap management. The NBN will be completed in 20 years at this pace.
Phil
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:43 PMAt 5 suburbs a month it will take until around 2120 to finish the whole of Australia.
simon c
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 5:21 PMnice to see WA is basically ignored like usual. A couple of rural towns, 2 upmarket suburbs and Meadow Springs. I don’t even know where that is.
How about rolling the NBN out to high density population areas first. Like, oh I don’t know, every capitol city for each state. At least it would reach 80% of Australia’s population faster. Sorry rural areas but that is the definition of a democracy. Rule of the many and the many live in cities.
Stove
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 6:20 PMI’m in WA. At home (a very dense central suburb) my dsl2+ syncs at 4mb. no other options available. At the office in subiaco, we get a whole 3.5mb down on dsl. We’ve just signed up for a $800 per month 8mb/8mb fibre connection.
I want the NBN. I wont be getting the NBN any time soon.
But what they’re doing makes perfect sense; supplying areas that, for various reasons, have terrible broadband access right now. If theproject gets cancelled after the next election, they’ll have done well at increasing the total broadband coverage.
kane
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 6:18 PMi think i can live on the moon before i get the NBN