NBN Co's Fibre Connect programme is converting copper-based FTTN and FTTC connections to full fibre-to-the-premises at a rate of roughly 8,000 homes a week, with no installation charge for eligible addresses. If your NBN connection was built on copper, there is a fair chance your address is already eligible or soon will be.
How it works
The upgrade is free, but it is not automatic. You trigger it by ordering the upgrade through a participating provider. A technician then installs the fibre lead-in and new equipment, and the copper is retired.
What you have to order depends on your current technology. If you are on FTTN, you still need to take an eligible higher-speed plan, typically NBN 100 or above. If you are on FTTC, that requirement no longer applies: from July 2026 NBN Co removed the high-speed tier condition for FTTC to FTTP upgrades, making around 600,000 homes eligible while staying on a cheaper plan. See our separate piece on the FTTC rule change for the detail. Either way, if you later drop back to a cheaper plan, you keep the fibre.
Our take
For FTTN households the "catch" still stands: you must commit to a faster plan to get the free install, usually for a short minimum period that varies by provider. That trade is generally worth it, because FTTN speeds degrade with copper distance and cap out well below what you are paying for, while FTTP delivers the full tier and opens up NBN 500 and gigabit plans. If you are on FTTN and your evening speeds disappoint, this is the fix, not another provider on the same copper. For FTTC households there is now no trade to weigh up at all, so there is little reason to wait.
What to do
Check your technology type and upgrade eligibility with the address checker on the NBN Co website. Then see our NBN speed tiers guide for which plan actually suits your household before ordering the upgrade.
Sources: NBN Co Fibre Connect programme; NBN Co media statement on relaxing the Fibre to the Curb upgrade eligibility requirement from July 2026.
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