What Is Fixed Wireless?
Fixed Wireless is an NBN connection type that delivers broadband internet via radio signals transmitted from a nearby tower to an antenna installed on or near your home. It is primarily used in regional and semi-rural areas where running fibre or copper cables would be too expensive or impractical.
Fixed Wireless serves over 260 suburbs across Australia with 500+ premises. It provides a vital internet link for communities beyond the reach of wired NBN technologies.
How Fixed Wireless Works
NBN Co operates a network of transmission towers across regional Australia. Each tower is connected to the NBN fibre backbone. When you have a Fixed Wireless connection, a technician installs an outdoor antenna on your roof or an external wall, pointed at the nearest NBN tower (typically within 14 kilometres).
The antenna receives the wireless signal and sends it via cable to an indoor connection device (similar to a modem), which your Wi-Fi router connects to. The technology uses 4G LTE and is being upgraded to 5G in many areas to boost speeds and capacity.
Typical Speed Range
25–75 Mbps download
Fixed Wireless can deliver NBN 50 and NBN 75 plans reliably for most premises within range. Higher speed tiers are becoming available as NBN Co upgrades towers to 5G technology. However, speeds can be affected by distance from the tower, weather, and the number of users connected to the same tower.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Provides broadband to areas where wired connections aren’t feasible
- Faster and more reliable than satellite for regional areas
- Being upgraded to 5G for improved speeds and capacity
- No copper or coaxial cable degradation issues
- Professional installation ensures optimal antenna placement
Cons:
- Speeds can be affected by distance from tower, terrain, and weather
- Shared capacity — congestion during peak hours in busy cells
- Requires clear line-of-sight to the tower for best performance
- Not available in very remote areas (satellite serves those)
- Upload speeds are more limited than fibre technologies
- Trees and new buildings can obstruct the signal over time
Top 20 Suburbs with Fixed Wireless
These are the suburbs with the most Fixed Wireless-connected premises in Australia, sorted by total premises count.
| # | Suburb | State | Premises | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mansfield | VIC | 3,615 | 5.5 | C+ |
| 2 | Irymple | VIC | 2,958 | 5.5 | C+ |
| 3 | Moruya | NSW | 2,861 | 4.5 | C |
| 4 | Agnes Water | QLD | 2,732 | 4.5 | C |
| 5 | Red Cliffs | VIC | 2,707 | 4.5 | C |
| 6 | Tenterfield | NSW | 2,608 | 5.5 | C+ |
| 7 | Tinana | QLD | 2,527 | 4.5 | C |
| 8 | Nanango | QLD | 2,281 | 4.5 | C |
| 9 | St George | QLD | 2,035 | 4.5 | C |
| 10 | Tocumwal | NSW | 1,959 | 4.5 | C |
| 11 | Waikerie | SA | 1,784 | 4.5 | C |
| 12 | Tara | QLD | 1,663 | 3.5 | D+ |
| 13 | Bermagui | NSW | 1,656 | 4.5 | C |
| 14 | Mount Barker | WA | 1,619 | 4.5 | C |
| 15 | Junortoun | VIC | 1,606 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 16 | Finley | NSW | 1,593 | 4.5 | C |
| 17 | Tamborine | QLD | 1,574 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 18 | Warracknabeal | VIC | 1,546 | 4.5 | C |
| 19 | Orbost | VIC | 1,462 | 4.5 | C |
| 20 | Glenwood | QLD | 1,444 | 3.5 | D+ |
Fixed Wireless suburbs are predominantly regional and semi-rural communities. With scores in the C to C+ range (3.5–5.5), these areas have adequate but not outstanding internet — suitable for general browsing and streaming, but potentially challenging for heavy data users or remote workers needing high upload speeds.