nbn Full Fibre Upgrade for Complex Multi-Dwelling Properties
Upgrade your apartment block, strata complex or commercial building to nbn full fibre for $275 including GST per premises. Eligibility, costs and timelines.
If your building runs on Fibre to the Node or Fibre to the Curb, nbn will now upgrade the whole complex to full fibre — Fibre to the Premises — for a flat co-contribution of $275 including GST per premises. It is the same upgrade that has been running for standalone houses, extended to the buildings that were always harder: apartment blocks, strata complexes, gated communities, commercial and mixed-use buildings.
The catch is that it is a building-wide project, not an individual one. It needs an authorised representative, a signed agreement, a site survey and a construction window measured in months. SIP Connect works alongside the Owners Committee or Body Corporate through that process, then connects the businesses and residents inside once the building is ready.
Is your building eligible?
To qualify for the complex multi-dwelling upgrade, your building or complex needs all three of the following:
nbn FTTN or FTTC available today.
Fibre to the Node or Fibre to the Curb are the technologies this program replaces.
Shared communications infrastructure
that requires access to other premises or common areas — a shared driveway or private road, for example — or a strata title.
An authorised representative
who can act for all the premises: an Owners Committee, Body Corporate or building owner.
Beyond those three, nbn assesses each site case by case on build complexity, infrastructure limits and environmental factors. Some technologies are not eligible straight away — Satellite, Fixed Wireless, Hybrid Fibre Coaxial and Fibre to the Building. If your address comes back ineligible you can register for updates and nbn will notify you if that changes.
What nbn counts as a ‘complex’ upgrade
A building is treated as complex when it needs a bespoke design rather than a standard one. That covers a wide range of properties:
- Apartment buildings — high-rise, mid-rise or low-rise
- Strata and community-titled developments where several dwellings share one land title
- Subdivided blocks with separate residences on a single original parcel
- Gated communities with shared infrastructure
- Townhouse and villa complexes with shared access
- Communities on private roads with shared driveways and common areas
- Heritage-listed buildings with structural or access constraints
- Commercial office buildings with multiple business tenancies
- Mixed-use developments combining residential and commercial space
- Large industrial or warehouse sites with multiple tenancies
- Boarding houses and government-owned housing
What it costs
The co-contribution is a flat $275 including GST per premises. Ten units means $2,750 including GST. nbn covers the rest of the build cost as part of its network investment.
Common area services are charged at the same $275 per connection — security and access control, EV chargers, solar power and video surveillance. The Owners Committee decides whether to include them. Worth knowing before you do: these services will not work during a power outage unless they have independent battery backup.
Payment is made jointly for all premises and any common area services, by the Body Corporate, Owners Committee or building owner on behalf of all owners.
If nbn assesses your building and determines the upgrade is not feasible — excessive build complexity, infrastructure limits, environmental factors — it terminates the build and the agreement. No charges are payable, and nbn restores any work already started to its original condition.
How the upgrade runs, step by step
1. Register interest.
Your authorised representative enters the building details with nbn, which assesses eligibility.
2. Sign the agreement.
nbn sends an agreement to the authorised representative by DocuSign. It has to be signed before anything else happens.
3. Site survey and installation plan.
An nbn construction partner assesses the building and produces a detailed plan. Typically four to six weeks, depending on the size of the building. They need access to common areas and selected units.
4. Construction.
Typically three to four months once the plan is confirmed, again depending on size and complexity.
5. Ready to connect.
nbn activates the site and notifies your representative, who tells residents and tenants they can order a full fibre plan.
You get one opportunity to comment on the installation plan, and ten business days to do it. Miss that window and nbn proceeds as planned. nbn may accommodate reasonable feedback but is not obliged to change the plan. If you withdraw after receiving the plan, a break fee covers the design and preparatory work already done.
What actually happens on site
Fibre runs from the street to nbn-supplied equipment inside the building, then to each individual premises. Equipment goes as close to existing infrastructure as practical — communications rooms, risers, entry points — and existing cable pathways are used where they exist. Where they do not, conduit or ducting runs externally from the street, and internally along skirting boards or ceiling corners in hallways and units.
An nbn connection box is installed inside each unit, next to an existing power source. That is what your router plugs into.
No planned outages are expected during the works. Premises on an active alternative fibre network are not anticipated to be affected.
Where SIP Connect fits
nbn handles the infrastructure build. Choosing what runs over it afterwards is where we come in, and for commercial buildings that is the part that decides whether the upgrade was worth it.
Before you commit
— we check what technology your address has today, what the upgrade would actually change for the businesses in the building, and whether Enterprise Ethernet or business fibre is a better fit for a tenancy that cannot wait three to four months.
During the build
— we keep existing services running. Nothing needs to be cancelled until the building is declared ready.
Once it is ready
— we connect tenancies onto business-grade plans on the new fibre, port numbers, and move phone systems across. Residents and tenants are free to choose any provider; we are simply the one that answers the phone locally.
We are based at Greensborough Plaza and work across Melbourne and Australia. If you manage a building in north-east Melbourne, we can meet you on site.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the nbn fibre upgrade cost for an apartment building?
A flat $275 including GST per premises, plus $275 for each common area service you choose to include. A ten-unit building would be $2,750 including GST. nbn covers the remainder of the build cost. The amount is paid jointly by the Body Corporate, Owners Committee or building owner.
Does every unit have to be upgraded?
Yes. The offer applies to the whole building or complex, so once the agreement is signed every premises has its existing nbn infrastructure upgraded to Fibre to the Premises. Costs are calculated per premises across the total number of connections.
What if one owner does not want fibre installed?
Their unit is still included in the project cost, and nbn installs fibre up to the closest available point outside the unit. The infrastructure is then in place if that owner changes their mind or the property sells. The final connection into the unit is arranged later through a provider, and additional fees may apply.
How long does the whole process take?
The site survey and installation plan typically take four to six weeks, then construction typically takes three to four months from the time the plan is confirmed. Both depend on the size of the building and the number of premises in it.
Will our internet drop out during the works?
No planned outages are expected. If a service is interrupted, the occupant should contact their own phone and internet provider. Premises connected to an active alternative fibre network are not anticipated to be affected.
What happens to our monitored fire alarms and lift phones?
They are not upgraded under this program. Safety-critical services need to work continuously, and the nbn network does not operate during a power outage. The industry standard for monitored fire alarms and lift phones has moved to 4G and 5G, which keep working in an outage provided the mobile network is up. Plan those separately — we can help you scope them.
Do residents have to change providers or move to a faster plan?
Neither. Residents keep their provider if they want to, and unlike the upgrade path for individual houses, this program does not require anyone to take a higher-tier speed plan. Pricing is set by each provider, so nbn cannot guarantee a new plan costs the same as an old one.
We are tenants, not owners. Can we start this?
Not directly, because it is a building-wide infrastructure upgrade. Start by gauging interest with your Body Corporate, Owners Committee or building owner, and check whether other residents want it too. If there is enough support and the committee votes in favour, an authorised representative registers on behalf of the property.
What if someone is out when the installers come?
The building upgrade still completes. That resident arranges installation of the nbn equipment inside their unit afterwards by placing an order through their provider. There is no additional fee for the construction partner to return and finish the internal installation.
Our building is on HFC. Are we eligible?
Not immediately. Satellite, Fixed Wireless, Hybrid Fibre Coaxial and Fibre to the Building are not eligible to connect to full fibre straight away under this program. You can still check your address and register for updates in case that changes.
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