nbn Fibre Upgrade — Simple and Complex Premises Explained
Moving your business from FTTN or FTTC to nbn full fibre. What separates a simple premises upgrade from a complex building upgrade, and what each one costs.
nbn is replacing copper with fibre across the country, and if your premises still runs on Fibre to the Node or Fibre to the Curb you can likely move to full fibre — Fibre to the Premises. What that costs and how long it takes depends entirely on one thing: whether nbn classifies your address as simple or complex.
Getting that classification right before you plan anything is the whole game. They are different programs with different paperwork, different timelines and different bills.
Simple premises: the standard upgrade
A standalone shop, office or house with its own direct connection is usually designated by nbn as a simple premises. That upgrade runs through your phone and internet provider rather than through nbn directly, and it is triggered by ordering a plan on an eligible wholesale speed tier.
Conditions, eligibility criteria and costs apply, and additional costs may apply to providers, who may choose to pass them on. We will tell you exactly what applies at your address before you commit to anything — talk to us and we will check it.
Complex premises: the building-wide program
If your premises shares communications infrastructure with others, sits on a strata title, or needs access to common areas or other premises to reach, nbn treats it as complex. Apartment buildings, commercial office buildings with multiple tenancies, gated communities, townhouse complexes, heritage buildings, mixed-use developments and multi-tenanted industrial sites all fall here.
Complex upgrades are handled as a whole-of-building project with a flat co-contribution of $275 including GST per premises, an agreement signed by an authorised representative, and a construction window of several months. We have written that process up in full on our nbn MDU complex upgrade page.
Which one applies to you
Standalone premises, own driveway, own connection
— almost certainly simple. Handled through us as your provider.
Suite or tenancy inside a building
— complex. Needs the building owner or Body Corporate on board.
One of several units on a shared block or private road
— complex, even if the units look like separate houses.
Not sure
— send us the address. Checking is free and takes minutes.
Is the upgrade worth it for a business?
Usually, and for reasons that have little to do with headline speed. Fibre to the Premises removes the copper run that causes most of the faults on FTTN and FTTC services, which is why it is the more stable connection. It is also the technology nbn is investing behind, so it is where the higher speed tiers land first.
The honest caveat: if your business needs a guaranteed symmetrical service with a committed information rate and a hard SLA, the fibre upgrade is not the answer — NBN Enterprise Ethernet or gigabit fibre is. We will tell you which one you actually need rather than which one is easiest to sell.
And if you cannot wait months for a complex build, 5G fixed wireless can carry a site in the meantime.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out if my address can get the fibre upgrade?
Send us the address and we will check what nbn technology is available there now, whether the premises is classified simple or complex, and what the upgrade path looks like. It is free and there is no obligation. You can also look up your nbn Location ID first if you have it.
What is the difference between a simple and a complex upgrade?
A simple premises upgrade is ordered through your provider when you take a plan on an eligible speed tier. A complex upgrade covers a whole building or complex that shares infrastructure, needs an authorised representative to sign an agreement with nbn, and carries a $275 including GST per premises co-contribution.
Which technologies can be upgraded?
Fibre to the Node and Fibre to the Curb are the technologies this program replaces. Satellite, Fixed Wireless, Hybrid Fibre Coaxial and Fibre to the Building are not eligible to move to full fibre straight away.
Will the upgrade interrupt our internet?
No planned outages are expected during the works. If something is interrupted, contact your provider — if that is us, you are calling a local team, not a queue.
Do we have to change providers to get upgraded?
No. The infrastructure belongs to nbn and any provider can sell services over it. We would like the business, but the upgrade does not depend on it.
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