School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI)

To boost education opportunities and narrow the digital divide, the Australian Government is working with NBN Co to provide up to 30,000 families with no internet at home free NBN for 12 months. 

To be eligible, families with school age children will be nominated by participating schools, education authorities and charities/community organisations. These organisations will identify and provide information directly to families within their respective systems about the initiative.

The first families were connected during Term One in 2023. The one-year of free service begins from the day the service is activated for each family. The period in which a family can be nominated for the initiative has been extended to 30 April 2024.

The Government is supporting NBN Co’s implementation and delivery of this initiative with a $4.5 million grant. This is a targeted affordability initiative while the Government considers longer-term solutions to address digital exclusion and education.

SSBI and Scams

Scammers may try using the SSBI to impersonate a participating entity, such as NBN Co, to extort money. It’s important to know that you will never be contacted and asked to provide bank details or to pay money to participate in SSBI by NBN Co. If you receive a suspicious phone call, report it immediately to the ACCC’s Scamwatch website.

Who is eligible to receive free services?

To be eligible, a family must:

  • Have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school.
  • Be referred by a nominating organisation.
  • Have no active broadband service over the NBN network.
  • Live in a premise where they can access a standard NBN service. 

What organisations are participating in the initiative to identify and nominate families?

The following organisations have joined the initiative and are nominating families that are a part of their respective systems.

In addition to the above organisations, Federal Members of Parliament and Senators are able to identify and nominate eligible families.

Where can parents and schools go to get more information and be nominated?  

Participating nominating organisations will provide information directly to schools and parents within their respective systems about the initiative.

What types of NBN services are being provided under the initiative?

A number of retail service providers have committed to providing free NBN services to families under this initiative: Aussie Broadband, Belong (Telstra), Exetel, Launtel, Lemonade Broadband (Connected Australia), SkyMesh, Superloop and Vodafone (TPG).

The national initiative will provide 50 megabits per second (Mbps) fixed-line services, Fixed-Wireless Plus and Sky Muster Plus services, depending on where the family lives, with large or unlimited data quotas.

More information is available on NBN Co’s website

When will free services commence?

Free services under the initiative commenced in Term One in 2023. The one-year of free service begins from the day the service is activated for each family.

The period in which a family can be nominated for the initiative has been extended to 30 April 2024.

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Privacy notice

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the Department) is collecting personal information for the purpose of notifying you of updates to information about the School Student Broadband Initiative, as published on the relevant Department web page, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.

The Department will use your personal information, in the form of your email address, for the purpose of notifying you of updated information and will store this information securely.

The Department will not disclose your information. If you do not provide the information requested you will not be provided with email notifications, however you will still be able to visit the relevant Department web page to check for updates.

The Department’s privacy policy contains information regarding complaint handling processes and how to access and/or seek correction of personal information held by the Department.  The Privacy Officer can be contacted on (02) 6274 6495 or by email: privacy@infrastructure.gov.au.