NBN Co

NBN Co Limited, generally branded as nbn, is an Australian Government-owned telecommunications infrastructure company created to deliver and operate the National Broadband Network. Rather than selling ordinary broadband subscriptions directly to households, NBN Co supplies wholesale access to retail service providers, which package the network into consumer and business plans. Its public policy role is to provide a nationwide broadband platform spanning metropolitan, regional and remote Australia. The company was incorporated on 9 April 2009 under the temporary legal name ACN 136 533 741 Limited. The government subsequently referred to it as the National Broadband Network Company, and it formally adopted the name NBN Co Limited on 6 October 2009. From 26 April 2015, the customer-facing trading name was shortened to nbn. The company reports to the Australian Government through the ministers responsible for communications and finance rather than to private shareholders. The National Broadband Network combines several access technologies. These include fibre-to-the-premises, fibre-to-the-node, fibre-to-the-curb, hybrid fibre-coaxial cable, fixed wireless and satellite services. The mix reflects the scale and geographic diversity of Australia, where a single access technology would not provide comparable coverage and construction economics across dense cities, regional communities and remote areas. NBN Co also operates points of interconnect and provides certain wholesale transport and mobile backhaul services. A major component of the network is Sky Muster, a satellite broadband service developed for rural and remote premises that cannot be efficiently served by terrestrial infrastructure. The service uses two geostationary satellites and has faced a growing competitive challenge from low-Earth-orbit satellite providers, particularly because geostationary satellite latency is materially higher. NBN Co has also progressively expanded fibre availability and offered upgrades for premises initially connected through fibre-to-the-node or fibre-to-the-curb technologies. The company has been central to Australian telecommunications policy and has attracted sustained debate over construction cost, technology choices, rollout timing, wholesale pricing, retail competition and the quality experienced by end users. In 2017, then chief executive Bill Morrow acknowledged that a significant minority of users were seriously dissatisfied, while NBN Co and retail service providers disputed how responsibility for performance problems should be allocated. The company later introduced changes intended to make wholesale capacity more flexible, including national pooling of connectivity virtual circuit bandwidth for retail providers. NBN Co announced in 2019 that the principal National Broadband Network build was expected to be completed by June 2020, although parts of the rollout and subsequent fibre upgrades continued beyond that date. By January 2025, more than 8.6 million homes and businesses were reported to be connected to an nbn access plan, compared with approximately 6.7 million in February 2020. In December 2024, Ellie Sweeney became chief executive after Stephen Rue departed to lead Optus. NBN Co remains a state-owned wholesale infrastructure provider whose long-term role is linked to national connectivity, network upgrades and the changing requirements of households, enterprises and public services.

NBN Co was established by the Australian Government on 9 April 2009 to act as the corporate vehicle for the National Broadband Network. Its original legal designation was ACN 136 533 741 Limited. The government soon began using the descriptive name National Broadband Network Company, which became the company's practical public identity before the formal adoption of NBN Co Limited on 6 October 2009. The company was designed as a wholesale-only infrastructure operator. Its role was to build and manage a national access network while allowing independent retail service providers to sell internet and related services to end users. This structure separated the physical access network from retail branding and service packaging. NBN Co's governance reflects its public ownership: it is accountable to the Australian Government through the ministers responsible for communications and finance. The network architecture developed into a multi-technology system. Fibre-to-the-premises was used where a full fibre connection was practical, while fibre-to-the-node, fibre-to-the-curb and hybrid fibre-coaxial solutions were used across other areas. Fixed wireless and satellite services extended coverage to regional and remote premises. The resulting network connected infrastructure at numerous points of interconnect, including facilities associated with existing telecommunications exchanges, and also supported selected wholesale backhaul services. NBN Co created the Sky Muster satellite program for rural and remote users. The system consists of two geostationary satellites positioned more than 35,000 kilometres above Earth. Its coverage helped address locations where terrestrial rollout would be difficult or uneconomic, but the high orbital distance produced substantially greater latency than newer low-Earth-orbit satellite systems. By July 2023, investment in the program was reported to exceed $620 million, while Starlink and similar services created new competitive pressure. The company's technology and commercial decisions have repeatedly been politically and commercially contested. In 2017, chief executive Bill Morrow said that a notable share of end users were seriously dissatisfied with their service. Retail service providers and NBN Co debated whether congestion, wholesale capacity pricing, retail competition or customer-premises equipment were the principal causes. Morrow also argued that demand for fixed connections above 25 megabits per second was not yet sufficiently strong to justify immediate network-wide upgrades. NBN Co subsequently introduced commercial and technical changes as usage increased. In 2019 it announced national pooling of connectivity virtual circuit bandwidth, intended to give retail providers more flexibility in managing capacity. That year, Stephen Rue announced an objective of completing the $51 billion principal network build by June 2020. Although the headline rollout target was reached as planned in the company's public timetable, some areas continued to be connected or upgraded in 2020 and 2021, including fibre-to-the-premises upgrades for premises initially served by fibre-to-the-node or fibre-to-the-curb infrastructure. NBN Co continued to expand the number of premises using an nbn access plan. The reported total rose from about 6.7 million in February 2020 to more than 8.6 million in January 2025. Leadership changed in 2024 when Stephen Rue announced his move to Optus; Ellie Sweeney, formerly chief executive of Vocus, became NBN Co's chief executive in December 2024. The company therefore entered its next phase as a mature national infrastructure operator focused on increasing fibre availability, managing wholesale products and responding to demand for higher speed and upload performance.

• 2025

  More than 8.6 million connected premises reported

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  NBN Co reported more than 8.6 million homes and businesses connected to an nbn access plan.

• 2024

  Ellie Sweeney became chief executive

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  Ellie Sweeney took over as chief executive in December 2024 after Stephen Rue's departure.

• 2020

  Principal network-build target

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  NBN Co targeted completion of the principal $51 billion network build by June 2020, with later rollout and upgrade work continuing in some locations.

• 2019

  National CVC pooling announced

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  NBN Co announced a plan allowing retail service providers to pool connectivity virtual circuit capacity nationally.

• 2017

  Service-quality dissatisfaction publicly acknowledged

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  Chief executive Bill Morrow said a significant minority of end users were seriously dissatisfied with their service.

• 2015

  Trading name shortened to nbn

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  The customer-facing trading name changed from NBN Co to nbn on 26 April 2015.

• 2009

  NBN Co incorporated

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  The company was established on 9 April 2009 under the temporary legal name ACN 136 533 741 Limited to deliver the National Broadband Network.

• 2009

  Formal adoption of the NBN Co name

  [1]NBN Coen.wikipedia.org

  On 6 October 2009, the company formally became NBN Co Limited.

A national, government-owned wholesale broadband infrastructure platform rather than a consumer retail internet brand. NBN Co positions nbn as the common access network used by competing retail service providers across Australia.

• National wholesale broadband network · 2009

  National Broadband Network

  The National Broadband Network is NBN Co's core infrastructure platform. It combines fibre, hybrid fibre-coaxial, fixed wireless and satellite access technologies to provide wholesale broadband connectivity across Australia. Retail service providers purchase access and sell plans under their own brands. The network also includes points of interconnect and associated wholesale transport capabilities.

• Satellite broadband

  Sky Muster

  Sky Muster is NBN Co's satellite broadband service for eligible rural and remote premises. It uses two geostationary satellites to reach locations that are difficult to serve through terrestrial infrastructure. The service extends national coverage but has higher latency than fibre, fixed wireless and low-Earth-orbit satellite alternatives because of the satellites' orbital distance.

• Wireless broadband access

  Fixed wireless

  NBN Co's fixed-wireless network provides broadband to selected regional and rural premises through radio links between network base stations and external customer equipment. It forms part of the multi-technology approach used to extend coverage where a full wired rollout is less practical.

• Fibre broadband access

  Fibre access services

  NBN Co supplies several fibre-based access types, including fibre-to-the-premises, fibre-to-the-node and fibre-to-the-curb. Fibre-to-the-premises provides the greatest fibre reach, while the other configurations use existing copper sections for part of the connection. The company has continued upgrading selected premises toward full fibre.

• 2019

  National pooling of connectivity virtual circuit capacityStrategy

  Background

  Retail service providers had raised concerns about how wholesale connectivity capacity was purchased and managed across different service areas.

  Action taken

  NBN Co announced that providers would be able to pool connectivity virtual circuit bandwidth nationally from May 2020.

  Aftermath

  The change was intended to give providers more flexibility in allocating capacity and managing traffic across their customer bases.

  Source

• 2019

  Targeted completion of the principal network buildStrategy

  Background

  NBN Co was undertaking a nationally significant construction program with a reported overall cost of $51 billion.

  Action taken

  Stephen Rue announced a target to complete the principal National Broadband Network build by June 2020.

  Aftermath

  Some rollout and fibre-upgrade activity continued in 2020 and 2021, including upgrades for premises initially served by fibre-to-the-node or fibre-to-the-curb technologies.

  Reported network program cost. $51 billion (2019 announcement)

  Source

• 2017

  Deferred broad network upgrades pending stronger demandStrategy

  Background

  Chief executive Bill Morrow said there was not yet significant demand for fixed connections faster than 25 megabits per second.

  Action taken

  NBN Co indicated that large-scale upgrades would not be undertaken until demand for higher bandwidth services was demonstrated.

  Aftermath

  The position became part of the wider debate over the network's technology choices, service performance and ability to support future demand.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  NBN Co consults on flat wholesale pricing proposals[2]NBN Co就批发统一定价方案征求意见itnews.com.au

  NBN Co opened a pre-lodgement consultation with retail service providers on two proposed flat wholesale pricing models that would remove the CVC charge and include upfront and yearly price increases.

• 2020-10-22

  NBN Co announces wholesale discounts and rebates[3]NBN Co宣布批发折扣和返利arnnet.com.au

  Reported: 2020-10-22

  NBN Co announced plans to offer internet retailers additional CVC capacity at no cost and wholesale pricing rebates on specified broadband speed plans. The capacity additions were planned to start on 1 December 2020, and the rebates on 1 February 2021 for six months.

• Unconfirmed

  NBN Co secures $6.1 billion in private debt financing[4]NBN Co获得61亿澳元私人债务融资miragenews.com

  NBN Co secured $6.1 billion in debt finance on external markets through new credit facilities, each with a five-year term. The source says $2.0 billion is expected to be drawn down; it does not state when the financing was secured.

• Unconfirmed

  NBN Co names broadband speed tiers Home Fast, Home Superfast and Home Ultrafast[5]NBN Co 将宽带速率档位命名为 Home Fast、Home Superfast 和 Home Ultrafastitnews.com.au

  NBN Co revealed that it will rebrand its 100/20Mbps and copper-based 25-100/5-20Mbps tiers as Home Fast, its 250/25Mbps tier as Home Superfast, and its up-to-gigabit tier as Home Ultrafast.

• Unconfirmed

  NBN Co announces first-timers internet discount[6]NBN Co宣布首次连接用户优惠itnews.com.au

  NBN Co announced a 50% wholesale-price discount for qualifying residential customers on fixed-line bundles, for 12 billing periods. The offer was stated to be available from 1 January through 30 June 2020.

• 2019-12-17

  NBN Co launches Access Bandwidth Service[7]NBN Co推出接入带宽服务computerworld.com

  Reported: 2019-12-18

  NBN Co officially launched its Access Bandwidth Service, a wholesale service designed for enterprise customers that offers committed information rates of up to 50/13Mbps and unlimited data.

• Unconfirmed

  NBN Co began delivering its Business Satellite Service[8]NBN Co开始提供商业卫星服务prnewswire.com

  Reported: 2019-11-06

  NBN Co began delivering its Business Satellite Service in collaboration with Speedcast to business and government users in regional and remote parts of Australia. Speedcast designed, built and manages the service network.

1. 1NBN Coen.wikipedia.org
2. 2NBN Co就批发统一定价方案征求意见itnews.com.au
3. 3NBN Co宣布批发折扣和返利arnnet.com.au
4. 4NBN Co获得61亿澳元私人债务融资miragenews.com
5. 5NBN Co 将宽带速率档位命名为 Home Fast、Home Superfast 和 Home Ultrafastitnews.com.au
6. 6NBN Co宣布首次连接用户优惠itnews.com.au
7. 7NBN Co推出接入带宽服务computerworld.com
8. 8NBN Co开始提供商业卫星服务prnewswire.com
9. 9NBN Co Launches Groundbreaking Business Satellite Service Created, Designed and Managed by Speedcasttvtechnology.com
10. 10NBN Co Launches Groundbreaking Business Satellite Service Created, Designed and Managed by Speedcast (ASX:SDA)abnnewswire.net
11. 11NBN slashes prices to coax users onto ultrafast plansafr.com