Upper Mountains residents are set to benefit from full-fibre internet

Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, said this will be welcome news for those in the first areas to be converted from fibre-to-the-node to fibre-to-the-premises - Blackheath, Leura, Wentworth Falls and Katoomba.

"Residents in these towns and villages have been tied to the old copper network, which can never meet the demands of 21st century connectivity," she said.

In November 2021, the now Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Communications Michelle Rowlands visited Leura and committed to increase the fibre in the NBN network with a plan for faster NBN.

"We were one of the first areas to receive FTTN, and the problems with connection and service throughout that rollout, and since, demonstrated how inadequate it was," Ms Templeman said.

"Reliable internet is more vital than ever before, families and businesses depend on fast, reliable and consistent connections and the outdated copper network just doesn't provide that."

The updates are part of the NBN fibre program which was boosted by the government's October 2022 announcement of an additional $2.4 billion investment.

"Investment in full-fibre NBN isn't a luxury but an essential for families and small businesses," Ms Templeman said.

"In six years we've seen NBN data use triple and we don't expect that growth to slow down. More businesses are operating online, people are working from home, and we're seeing kids using the internet for education more often too.

"Full-fibre to the premises will deliver them faster upload and download speeds mean more people can be online at the same time without the connection being affected."

The remaining locations to be upgraded are expected to be announced by early 2024.