Victorians in the country will benefit from improved broadband coverage thanks to the Allan Labor government's Connecting Victoria program and the Australian Government's Regional Connectivity Program.
Residents of Harrietville will be upgraded to Fibre to the Premises technology, while new nbn Fixed Wireless towers will be built to service areas near Blackwood, Chum Creek, Blue Hill Lookout and Sailors Falls.
Minister for Government Services Danny Pearson announced the upgrades would make it easier for residents to connect with loved ones, work and study, stream content and access information during bushfires and floods.
The Fibre-to-the-Premises upgrades in Harrietville will roll out high-speed fibre optic cables that plug directly into each premise in the area, offering download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit, or 1000 Megabits, per second.
The four new nbn Fixed Wireless towers in Blackwood, Chum Creek, Blue Hill Lookout and Sailors Falls will provide the nbn Fixed Wireless service, offering access to download speeds of up to 100 Megabits per second.
The towers have been designed to support faster downloads speeds in future. Together, the upgrades will provide improved nbn service to more than 1000 premises across the state.
The Regional Connectivity Program (RCP) is funded by the Australian Government with contributions from the Victorian Government and grantees.
The Labor Government has invested in mobile and broadband upgrades in more than 70 regional locations, with 63 of these sites now complete.
Across the state, the Victorian Government is working to fast-track more than 1300 mobile and broadband projects as part of the Connecting Victoria program, with Victoria now having the largest percentage of premises in Australia capable of achieving gigabit speeds through nbn's fixed line network.
Victorians can check if they're eligible for an upgrade via the 'check your address' function on nbn's website at nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/more-fibre.
As stated by Minister for Government Services Danny Pearson
"Strong digital connections mean stronger local economies - helping businesses grow, supporting students, and keeping families connected."
"This means that residents in the Yarra Ranges, Hepburn, Moorabool and Mansfield shires have the same opportunities as anyone else online."
As stated by Head of nbn Local Victoria Emily Peel
"Regional Australian homes and businesses are benefiting from faster nbn speeds and more reliable connectivity in busy periods than ever before. People will be able to do more online, with more devices, at the same time."
