NBN policy information

NBN Co Statement of Expectations

On 19 December 2022, Shareholder Ministers for NBN Co issued a Statement of Expectations for the company. This statement guides NBN Co so that the company's strategic direction is aligned with the Australian Government's objectives for the National Broadband Network (NBN) and delivering the Government's commitments to increase access to faster, more reliable broadband.

Government Policy Project Notice—overview

NBN Co's Special Access Undertaking (SAU) with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is a key part of the regulatory framework governing the terms on which retail service providers access wholesale services supplied by NBN Co over the NBN.

On 17 October 2023, the ACCC gave notice that it had accepted a proposal from NBN Co to vary the SAU. The varied SAU established a new mechanism known as a Government Policy Project Notice (Project Notice).

The below Explanatory Note describes the process and approach that would be taken by the Minister for Communications to issuing, and consulting on, a Project Notice for the purposes of the SAU.

Special Access Undertaking (NBN Transformation Projects) Government Policy Project Notice 2025

On 13 January 2025, NBN Co announced it would be undertaking upgrades to enable premises in the remaining fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network areas to order higher-speed services using mostly fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology. The number of premises estimated to be in this footprint was approximately 622,000 premises as at the date of the announcement.

On 12 November 2025, the Minister for Communications, the Hon Anika Wells MP, issued the Special Access Undertaking (NBN Transformation Projects) Government Policy Project Notice 2025. This Project Notice defined the upgrades as the NBN Network Upgrade Project and NBN Premises Upgrade Project (collectively the NBN Transformation Projects). The NBN Network Upgrade Project includes the build component of the upgrade that will give FTTN premises the ability to access FTTP technology (or an alternative technology). The NBN Premises Upgrade Project includes the component of the upgrade involving the connection of FTTN premises to FTTP technology (or alternative technology).

The Project Notice is at:

The effect of the Project Notice is that the ACCC will treat expenditure associated with the NBN Transformation Projects as prudent expenditure for the purposes of its regulatory assessment under the SAU. The ACCC will still undertake an efficiency assessment of the expenditure.

The Project Notice caps the amount of build expenditure deemed prudent below the forecast amount. The Minister made this decision to balance giving NBN Co the opportunity to realise revenue that is forecast to result from the NBN Transformation Projects with managing the potential long-term impact on retailers and consumers. This level of capping aligns with an option suggested by the ACCC (see below).

The Minister issued the Project Notice as the NBN Transformation Projects are reasonably required to meet Government policy objectives of improving the reliability of NBN services, increasing speeds available for all of the remaining FTTN premises, and increasing the proportion of NBN premises able to access speeds of 1 gigabit per second.

The Project Notice also explains how the NBN Transformation Projects, in enabling the delivery of these objectives, are expected to result in a range of benefits, including:

  • consumer and connectivity benefits, particularly in regional Australia
  • long term benefits to the efficiency and operation of the network
  • whole of economy, productivity and employment benefits
  • market and competition benefits
  • environmental benefits.

An overview of the Project Notice is available at:

Consistent with SAU requirements, the ACCC and NBN Co were consulted on the NBN Transformation Project Notice prior to it being issued. Both the ACCC and NBN Co support the issuance of the Project Notice. The responses from the ACCC and NBN Co are available at: