What's Changing in 2026
Australia's National Broadband Network is entering its full-fibre era. After years of a mixed-technology rollout, NBN Co is moving decisively to retire the copper in the ground and replace it with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), the fastest, most reliable connection type available.
The headline change for 2026 is about eligibility. Until now, many premises on Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) could only get a free upgrade to full fibre if they signed up to a high-speed plan. From July 2026, NBN Co is removing that high-speed-tier requirement, which makes an estimated 600,000 additional single-dwelling premises eligible for a full-fibre upgrade without having to order a premium plan first.
This sits inside a much bigger picture. Backed by up to $3 billion from the Australian Government and more than $800 million from NBN, the broader upgrade program aims to move hundreds of thousands of premises, including around 622,000 currently on Fibre to the Node, from legacy copper to full fibre by 2030.
600k
Extra FTTC premises eligible from Jul 2026
$3B+
Government funding for fibre
130k
Premises in the mandatory upgrade
2030
Target for the copper-to-fibre program
The End of Copper
If the direction was ever in doubt, it is not now: legacy copper is being retired. Under a Targeted Upgrade program, NBN Co plans to upgrade around 130,000 homes and businesses still on Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) to full fibre, with the first NBN-led notifications expected from July 2027. Premises in scope will be moved to fibre, and those that do not migrate face eventual disconnection of the old service.
This is the same structural story that already played out for voice. The old copper PSTN and ISDN network that carried traditional phone lines has already been switched off under the NBN migration, which is why business voice moved to the internet in the first place. Now the copper used for broadband is following it into retirement. The endpoint is a fully fibre network for the premises that can get it.
⚠️ If your business is still on copper
Whether it is a copper phone line hanging on, or an FTTN/FTTC broadband service, the message is the same: plan the move now, on your terms. It is far better to migrate to fibre and a modern cloud phone system proactively than to be forced into a rushed change when a disconnection notice arrives.
Why This Matters for Business
For a business, your internet connection is no longer just how you browse the web, it is the road your phone calls, video meetings, card payments and cloud software all travel on. Upgrading the road matters. Here is why the fibre shift is genuinely good news:
- More capacity for everything at once. Full fibre gives you the headroom to run many simultaneous calls, video conferences and cloud apps without them fighting for bandwidth.
- Better upload speeds. Voice and video depend on upload, and copper connections are often weakest there. Fibre lifts that ceiling dramatically.
- Lower, more consistent latency. Fibre is more predictable than copper, and consistency is what keeps calls crisp.
- Greater reliability. There is no ageing copper in the path to corrode, get wet, or degrade with distance from a node.
- Future-proofing. As your team grows and adds video, AI and more devices, a fibre connection has room to grow with you.
What Full Fibre Does for Your Calls
It is worth being precise here, because there is a common myth that you need a huge, fast connection for good phone calls. You do not. Voice is remarkably light on bandwidth, a single high-quality call uses only around 85 to 100 kbps in each direction, so even ten simultaneous calls need only about 1 Mbps.
What actually determines call quality is not raw speed but the quality of the connection: low latency (ideally under 150 ms), low jitter, and low packet loss, and enough upload capacity, since most connections have far less upload than download.
This is exactly where full fibre shines. On a copper-based FTTN connection, upload can be modest and quality can vary with how far you are from the node. Full fibre delivers higher, more symmetric upload and rock-steady latency. For a small business making a handful of calls, either works well. For a growing team running lots of concurrent calls plus video and cloud apps, fibre's extra headroom keeps everything smooth at once.
You don't need fibre for good calls, you need a good connection. But fibre gives you so much headroom that "good" stops being something you have to think about. The practical take on fibre and business voice
You Don't Need to Wait for Fibre
Here is the most important practical point: the fibre rollout is a reason to modernise your phone system now, not a reason to wait. A cloud phone system works over any NBN technology you have today, FTTP, FTTC, FTTN, HFC or Fixed Wireless, and even over 4G/5G. Because voice needs so little bandwidth, you get excellent calls right now, and when your fibre upgrade lands, the same system simply gets even more headroom underneath it.
Compare that to the old model of an on-premise phone box wired to copper lines. That hardware is tied to the very technology being switched off. Moving to the cloud decouples your phone system from the physical line entirely, so a network upgrade, or an outage, no longer means ripping out and replacing your phones.
The smart sequence
1. Move your phones to a cloud system now, over whatever NBN connection you have. 2. Check your fibre-upgrade eligibility and book it when available. 3. Enjoy the same phone system, now with fibre headroom, no re-installation, no new hardware, no change to your numbers.
NBN Technologies Compared for Business Voice
All NBN technologies can carry business voice, because voice needs so little bandwidth. Here is how they stack up for a growing business that also runs video and cloud apps:
| Technology | Typical upload | Latency & consistency | Great for business voice? |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTTP (Full Fibre) | High & symmetric | Low, very consistent | ✓ Best, with room to grow |
| FTTC (Fibre to the Curb) | Good | Low | ✓ Excellent for most |
| HFC (Cable) | Moderate | Good | ✓ Works well |
| FTTN (Fibre to the Node) | Varies with distance | Good, can vary | ✓ Fine for typical volumes |
| Fixed Wireless | Moderate | Higher, weather-sensitive | ~ Works; add mobile failover |
The takeaway: even the "lower" tiers comfortably handle business calls today. Full fibre simply removes any doubt and future-proofs you as you add video, AI and staff.
How to Check Your Eligibility
Getting ready for full fibre is straightforward:
- Check your address. Enter your business address on the NBN website's upgrade checker, or ask your internet provider whether a full-fibre (FTTP) upgrade is available or on the way.
- Understand the offer. The upgrade build is generally provided at no cost when you order a qualifying plan, and from July 2026 many more FTTC premises qualify without needing a high-speed tier.
- Plan the switch-off. If you are on copper-based FTTN/FTTC, factor in the mandatory upgrade timeline (notifications from July 2027) and migrate on your own schedule.
- Modernise your phone first. Move to a cloud phone system now so the fibre upgrade is a seamless improvement rather than a disruptive rebuild.
How Uniden Voice Fits In
Uniden Voice Over Cloud is designed to make the fibre transition effortless:
- Works over any NBN connection today, and takes full advantage of full fibre when you upgrade, no re-installation. See our detailed guide to how Uniden Voice works on the NBN.
- 100% Australian-hosted across redundant data centres for low latency and reliability.
- Keeps your existing numbers with free porting, so a fibre or provider change never means losing your number.
- Includes AI, intelligent call routing and mobile-app failover, so you get a smarter phone system and better resilience, not just a faster line.
- Local Australian support and a dedicated account manager to guide the whole transition.
The fibre era is arriving. The businesses that get ahead of it, modern phone system now, fibre underneath when it lands, will barely notice the switch-off happening around them. They will just have faster, more reliable communications, and one less thing to worry about.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is changing with NBN full-fibre upgrades in 2026?
From July 2026, NBN Co is removing the requirement to order a high-speed plan to qualify for a free FTTC-to-FTTP upgrade, making around 600,000 more premises eligible. It is part of a program backed by up to $3 billion in government funding and over $800 million from NBN to move hundreds of thousands of premises off copper to full fibre by 2030.
Will the old copper NBN be switched off?
Yes, progressively. Under a Targeted Upgrade program, around 130,000 premises still on FTTN and FTTC will be moved to full fibre or face disconnection, with the first notifications expected from July 2027. Legacy copper is being retired.
Do I need full fibre to run a business phone system?
No. A cloud phone system runs over any NBN technology because voice needs only around 100 kbps per call. Full fibre is not required for great call quality today, it simply adds headroom: faster, symmetric uploads, lower latency and more consistency.
How does full fibre improve business calls?
Call quality depends on upload capacity, latency, jitter and packet loss more than raw download speed. Full fibre delivers higher, more consistent upload and lower latency than copper-based connections, which keeps calls crisp even when the connection is busy with video and cloud apps.
How do I check if my business is eligible for a free fibre upgrade?
Check your address on the NBN website or ask your provider. From July 2026 many more FTTC premises qualify without a high-speed plan, and the upgrade build is generally at no cost with a qualifying plan. Uniden Voice works over your connection either way.
What to Read Next: The Cloud Communications Cluster
The fibre rollout is one piece of a bigger shift to modern, internet-based business communications. These guides go deeper.
