To manage the impact of COVID-19 on telecommunications networks, the Government has established a special working group, led by NBN Co, to proactively share information and emerging engineering, security and operational issues.
NBN Co and the mobile carriers have put in place the following measures to manage the impact of COVID-19 on their networks and on telecommunications users.
NBN Co Limited
On 17 April 2020, NBN Co announced a financial relief package to support families and businesses in staying connected during COVID-19.
NBN Co also announced it will open up network capacity free of charge to retail service providers (RSPs) for the next three months by allowing up to 40 per cent more bandwidth, or 'Connectivity Virtual Circuit' (CVC), across all technologies to improve network performance.
NBN Co is also optimising its network with expectations that day-time network traffic will continue to rise as more people work from home. NBN Co has experience in managing periods of exceptionally high traffic, particularly during school holidays.
NBN Co announced a temporary boost to data allowances for Sky Muster satellite customers with access to an additional 45 Gigabytes (GB) free of charge. The additional data will be available shortly for one month initially and provides relief for regional and remote customers as their internet needs change.
The Sky Muster Plus product has also been enhanced, with 70% of all data now unmetered for all online content and applications, compared to 30% under the current plans, with only two exclusions—video streaming and VPN traffic. Unmetered usage for education applications and apps, such as Skype and FaceTime, is also supported.
- Visit NBN Co's website for their latest COVID-19 response updates
Mobile carriers
Australia's major mobile phone carriers—Vodafone, Telstra and Optus—have implemented a range of support measures, including providing additional free data allowances and concessions.
For the latest information visit their websites: