NBN Timeline

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  1. NBN Technology & Address Check
  2. Go to POI (Points of Interconnect)
  3. NBN Connection Options iiNet's excellent explanations of FTTP Fibre to the Premises, FTTB Building & FTTN Node, FTTC Curb (up to 4 properties), HFC, Wireless, Satellite, Phones
  4. NBN Connection Options (2) Belong's diagrams, showing wiring options inside and outside with neighbours

Timeline

Click here re C-tags (client modems) and S-tags (RSPs)

2007 NBN announced
2009 NBN started as FTTP to the Premises.
2010 First customers finally connected in July.

Three years went by.

Sep 2013 then ALP lose the election.

Nov 2013 110,000 customers have now signed on (1½% of Australia) with 98½% to go.
355,000 households have been passed (5%), but 245,000 of them were without agreements.
Very awkward roll out, slow, expensive, note fibre optic is more fragile than copper.

FTTB (Fibre to the Building) in 2014, FTTC (Fibre to the Curb) in 2018, and in particular FTTN (Fibre to the Node) in 2015 brings massive acceleration to the rollout.

FTTN, FTTB, FTTC used VDSL2 (very high speed DSL over Telephone Cable) its power boosted up to 30MHz, its download speed varying
within 300 metres distance from the fibre-optic cable: 100Mbps+,
1 km: 50Mbps, 2km: 15Mbps, 3km: 8Mbps, 4-5 km: back to 1-4Mbps

HFC ok after 2016, via TV cable.

Rollout continued
2014 250,000 users, the network increasing by 140,000 from 2013
2015 500,000 users, it doubled from 2014
2016 1 million users, it doubled from 2015
2017 2½ million users, an increase of 1½ million
2018 4 million users, an increase of 1½ million
2019 5½ million users, an increase of 1½ million
2020 7.4 million users in June 2020
2021 8.4 million users in June 2021
2022 8.7 million users in June 2022
2023 8.8 million users in December 2023

Current Stats

NBN Sep 2025
Base Connections 8.8m

In January 2026 there are more than 170 Internet Service Providers / RSPs (Retail Service Providers) in Australia providing backhaul to the NBN.

Click here for Wikipedia links. Only 6 RSPs service more than 500,000 connections.

These are
Telstra 3.2m 36.4%
TPG 1.6m 18.2%
Optus 1.088m 12.4%
Vocus (Dodo,iPrimus) 870t 10%
Aussie Broadband 750t 8.5%
Superloop 620t 7%
Others 650t 7.4%

Technology Types
FTTP 2.87m 32.5%
FTTN 2.34m 26.5%
HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) 2m 23%
FTTC (Curb) 865t 10%
FixedWireless 405t 4%
FTTB (Building) 270t 3%
Satellite 72t 1%

Non-NBN Connections
Mobile Broadband 4.2m (mostly 5G)
Home Wireless 550t
Fibre 250t
Starlink Satellite 200t

Points of Interconnect (POI)

Following Data extracted from www.canstarblue.com.au

How do POIs work?

POIs are nodes that connect your home to the internet, a multi-step process

  1. In your home, you'll have your devices connected to your modem-router, wired or over WiFi
  2. Your modem-router is connected to your local NBN access network, and then the nearest NBN Point of Interconnect
  3. This is then connected through to your RSP Network (Retail Service Provider)
  4. Once on your telco's domestic network, you'll be patched through to an international network, then on to the World Wide Web where you can access websites and browse the web as much as you like.

Where is my POI?

Usually housed in select telephone exchange buildings, there's 121 across Australia's states, servicing every household on the network.

Below is a list split up by state.

New South Wales POIs

Queensland POIs

Victoria POIs

Western Australia POIs

South Australia POIs

ACT POIs

Tasmania POIs

Northern Territory POIs

What is an interim POI?

An interim POI is to be utilised when a permanent POI has not been developed, typically in new areas. When a permanent POI is established, household internet traffic will go through newly created POI.

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