NBN offers faster fixed wireless

NBN today began offering its wholesale partners double the speeds currently delivered by its fixed wireless network, launching a new speed tier that boasts up to 50Mbps download and 20Mbps upload.

The network builder starting trialling the faster speeds on fixed wireless in regional areas in April this year.

It represents a doubling of the previous peak wholesale speed tier of 25Mbps down. However, NBN previously advised the advertised speeds were wholesale peak and would vary from between 25Mbps and 50Mbps down and 5Mbps and 20Mbps up.

Around 45,000 end users are currently taking part in a pilot of the new tier. The trial will officially end on December 30, but retail service providers can start offering the product from today.

Around 300,000 premises are currently able to access the NBN's fixed wireless network, and it will be rolled out to about 600,000 premises by the network's completion in 2020.

Fixed wireless makes up just five percent of the total national broadband network. The majority will be on FTTN/B, 34 percent will receive HFC, around 20 percent will receive fibre-to-the-premise, and three percent will be on satellite services.

NBN also today said it would establish a new cyber security operations centre in Melbourne, to act as its first line of defence against cyber threats to the NBN.

"It provides a collection of services for the delivery of detection, identification, triage and management of cyber events and incident response," the Victorian government said in a statement.

Around 700 people will be employed at the faciity. The Victorian government had provided financial assistance to lure NBN to the city through the $508 million premier's jobs and investment fund.