Residents in Narromine and parts of Dubbo are set to be among the next to benefit from access to ultrafast broadband, after NBN Co announced a sixth tranche of towns and suburbs across Australia that will become eligible to upgrade to NBN’s Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said this will bring the total to 1.6 million premises of the 2 million target.

“This next stage will see another 200,000 premises eligible, including in the Parkes electorate, which will drive significant benefits to the community,” Minister Fletcher said.

“NBN Co will now work with its construction and delivery partners to get premises in the Dubbo and Narromine region ready to upgrade to ultrafast speeds when they choose to do so.

“This represents a key part of NBN Co’s $3.5 billion investment that will see 75 per cent of Australia’s fixed line network able to access ultrafast broadband by 2023.”

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton welcomed this investment which he said will better connect Dubbo and Narromine to the rest of the world.

“Households and businesses in Dubbo and Narromine will be able to access NBN Co’s fastest internet plans of up to 1 gigabit per second, on demand by 2023,” Mr Coulton said.

“This will create jobs in the community, ensure local businesses can access the speeds they need to thrive, and improve connectivity for families. It also has the potential to attract new businesses and professionals to the region by enabling them to take advantage of ultrafast broadband.”

For more information on the NBN, go to www.nbnco.com.au