Thousands of Victorian businesses can look forward to better internet connections, with the department and NBN Co striking a landmark deal to improve connections around the state.
As part of the agreement, $73 million will be invested to upgrade broadband across Victoria over the next two years through the $550 million Connecting Victoria program .
The first round of upgrades will see up to 10,000 Victorian businesses in 12 locations get access to faster and more reliable internet – making it easier for them to handle large files, video conference and capture real-time data.
Businesses in Pakenham North, Pakenham South, Cranbourne South, Dromana, Lara, Colac, Hamilton, Portland, Wonthaggi, Inverloch, Warragul and Benalla will be the first to benefit.
The improvements will see NBN build infrastructure for improved fibre connections free of charge, with businesses only needing to pay an ongoing fee to connect to the service.
Currently, if a business wants a fibre connection they need to pay for the building of the fibre as well as a contract. The Victorian Government is subsiding the infrastructure to minimise costs for businesses, leaving them to only pay for their internet plan.
With improved internet speeds up to 1 gigabit per second and 24/7 support from NBN Co, businesses will be able to move more of their operations online.
Businesses in the first 12 towns and sites will be able to contact their internet provider to order the new connections from 1 September.
These are the first of many broadband improvements that will be delivered in around 120 locations, with the Connecting Victoria program investing $250 million to improve broadband.
