Free NBN fibre upgrade: everything you need to know to get faster, reliable internet

NBN Co’s free fibre upgrade program is showing no signs of slowing down, and is making it its mission to bring faster, more reliable fibre optic cabling to more and more homes in Australia.

And as mentioned in the company's FY26 financial results,one million Australians have taken advantage of the initiative, with there now being 2.99 million homes connected via fibre to the premises (FTTP) as of 31 December 2025.

Yet there are still millions of Australians eligible for the upgrade who have yet to do so. NBN Co says that 10 million homes — or 90% of the fixed-line network — can now access up to multi-gigabit download speeds made possible by full-fibre technology.

And since the arrival of the NBN speed upgrades in September 2025, there's never been a better time to do so, as it's now possible to get a minimum of 500Mbps speeds with the best NBN 500 plans, and up to 2Gbps with a NBN 2000 plan.

If you don't think the upgrade is something you're interested in, then you may soon have your hand forced, as NBN Co has recently announced a Targeted Upgrade program, that will initially see 130,000 homes and business being required to upgrade their technology mid-way through 2027.

So what exactly is the free fibre upgrade program we hear you ask? Essentially it means customers who connect to the NBN fixed-line network via the inferior fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) tech, can have the equipment at their property upgraded to FTTP. Once installed, customers can revel in the fastest NBN plans.

For a time, those eligible were required to sign up to an NBN plan with download speeds of 500Mbps or higher. However, NBN Co has confirmed that will soon be scrapped, so if you're on an NBN 50 plan for example and you're happy, you can stick with it.

Can I get a free NBN fibre upgrade?

The easiest way to find out if you're eligible for the free upgrade is to check your address on NBN Co’s website.

Do note that only customers that connected via FTTN/C are eligible. This means those who connect via fibre to the basement/building (FTTB) – usually those in apartment buildings – aren't eligible. However, faster internet may be available for people living in apartments via a number of NBN alternatives.

If you live in an eligible suburb, you can register for updates from NBN Co directly in order to stay in the loop – just note you’ll need to enter your address in the eligibility checker first.

Alternatively, you can wait for your telco to get in touch regarding an upgrade since it’ll be in their interest to let you know as soon as your home is eligible for an upgrade as this will encourage you to sign up for a faster NBN plan.

How much does it cost to upgrade my NBN?

The actual upgrading of the equipment at your home is free.

For a long time, the only cost you would have needed to incur was a new plan of at least 500Mbps. However, NBN Co is relaxing those rules from July 2026. As a result, all you need to do is just upgrade the technology at your home, meaning you can keep an NBN 25 or NBN 50 plan, for example.

That's great news, and could be the catalyst needed to encourage more Australians to take advantage of the upgrade. Doing so will bring a more reliable and stable connection thanks to the superior technology.

What suburbs can get FTTP for free?

The full list of suburbs in Australia that are eligible for NBN Co's free fibre upgrade program is too long to list here, so we recommend you check your address on the NBN Co website to see if yours is included.

How do I upgrade my NBN under the free fibre program?

It's relatively simple to upgrade your home NBN connection to FTTP. The majority, if not all, internet service providers (ISPs) support the program and should advertise it on their website.

If you want to take advantage of the upgrade, simply head to the website of your ISP of choice (we've recommended some of our favourites a little further down) and enter your address.

If your home is eligible, the ISP should indicate as much. You will then need to follow the steps to sign up for a new NBN plan with at least 500Mbps download speed.

Once ordered, your ISP will arrange for NBN technicians to come to your premises to install the necessary equipment. Once installed, your new plan will activate.

What are the benefits of an NBN upgrade?

A full-fibre upgrade will open households and businesses to a wider range of NBN plans, including the ultrafast NBN 1000 tier (or 'gigabit internet') which is only available on FTTP and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connection types specifically.

What are the best plans to upgrade to?

You can view our regularly updated guide to the fastest NBN plans, which has recommendations for plans starting at 100Mbps and increasing to the theoretical maximum 1,000Mbps speed. But we've also listed a few below that get our seal of approval.

Exetel One | 500Mbps | AU$80p/m

We rate Exetel's NBN 500 plan as the best option for anyone wanting to experience the faster speeds right now. The telco has scrapped all other plan options, leaving just the single plan you see here. In doing so, it's enabled Exetel to be incredibly competitively priced. Promising download speeds of up to 500Mbps (even during the busier evening hours) and speedy uploads of up to 50Mbps, it offers homes a great balance of speed and price. Whether you want to stream to multiple devices without interruption or download large game files, the Exetel One plan is one to consider.

• AU$80 minimum cost
• AU$960 yearly cost

View Deal

Kogan Internet Gold Plus | 500Mbps | AU$71.90p/m (first 12 months, then AU$85.90p/m)

Right now you can get a full 12-month discount with Kogan Internet. That's great news, because wholesale costs are increasing in July, which could mean more expensive monthly payments for you. If you lock in this discount, you'll avoid that rise for as long as possible.

• AU$71.90 minimum cost
• AU$862.80 first year cost
• AU$1,030.80 ongoing yearly cost

View Deal

NBN alternatives

If you’re on an FTTN or FTTC connection and are holding out to see if you’re eligible for an upgrade, or you’ve found out you’re ineligible, there are some NBN alternatives you should consider.

Both FTTN and FTTC connections are capable of supporting NBN 100 plans, with typical evening speeds ranging from 85-100Mbps from most providers (there are some exceptions). We’d argue this is more than enough bandwidth for most power users and large households.

However, if your current technology means that you’re experiencing a poor connection even on a higher speed tier, 5G home internet plans are becoming increasingly common, and as the rollout continues, are available in more areas.

• NBN speed test: check your broadband speed here in seconds