16.09.2021Creating a more digitally connected Victoria
Some exciting news from our Foundation Member NBN Co and the Victorian Government relating to Melbourne and Victoria’s digital capability.
The Victorian Government has committed $73 million to establish the ‘Victorian Gigabit State Program Fund’. This is a significant development as we strive to improve connectivity between Melbourne and our regions, more important than ever as we face the ongoing challenges of COVID-19.
The program will focus on three key project areas: new Business Fibre Zones, fixed wireless and satellite to fixed line upgrades in partnership with NBN’s Regional Co-Investment Fund and upgrades to the fixed line network.
The first project under the new agreement will see 11 new Business Fibre Zones created in Victoria, enabling Retail Service Providers to offer approximately 10,000 Victorian businesses located within the eleven zones business-grade fibre connections at no upfront build cost.
Business Fibre Zones are designed to help level the playing field for businesses of all sizes and in more locations by reducing the previously significant variation in the cost of business broadband services in regional and rural areas compared to CBD Zones.
There are now 61 Business Fibre Zones in Victoria.
The 11 new regional zones are:
- Benalla
- Colac
- Cranbourne South
- Dromana
- Hamilton
- Lara
- Packenham North
- Packenham South
- Warragul
- Wonthaggi-Inverloch
- Portland
The Victorian Government has been the first to seize this opportunity, and the program underpins the Victorian Government’s overall $550 million Connecting Victoria Program.
Learn more about the Committee’s work on Digital Capability here