What Is FTTN?
Fibre to the Node (FTTN) is an NBN connection type where fibre optic cable runs from the exchange to a neighbourhood street cabinet (the “node”), and the remaining distance to your home uses the existing copper telephone line. FTTN was introduced as part of the multi-technology mix to speed up the NBN rollout by reusing existing Telstra copper infrastructure.
FTTN is one of the most common NBN technologies in Australia, serving over 1,400 suburbs with 500+ premises. However, it is also the most variable in terms of speed performance.
How FTTN Works
A node is a green or grey street cabinet, roughly the size of a fridge, installed in your neighbourhood. Fibre connects the node to the wider NBN network. From the node, data travels through the old copper telephone line to your home using VDSL2 (Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line) technology.
The critical factor is distance from the node. The longer the copper run, the weaker the signal, and the slower your speeds. Homes within 200–400 metres of a node typically get good performance, while homes 800+ metres away may see significant speed drops.
Typical Speed Range
25–68 Mbps download (depends on distance from node)
Theoretical maximum is around 100 Mbps for homes very close to the node, but real-world performance typically caps at 50–68 Mbps. The NBN 100 tier is available on FTTN but many connections cannot reliably deliver it.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Widely available across suburban and regional Australia
- No new cabling required inside most homes
- Adequate for basic to moderate internet usage
- Can be upgraded to FTTP under NBN Co’s fibre upgrade program
Cons:
- Speeds degrade significantly with distance from the node
- Copper line quality affects performance (old or damaged lines = slower speeds)
- Cannot reliably support NBN 250 or NBN 1000 speed tiers
- More susceptible to weather interference and electrical noise
- Upload speeds are limited compared to fibre technologies
Top 20 Suburbs with FTTN
These are the suburbs with the most FTTN-connected premises in Australia, sorted by total premises count.
| # | Suburb | State | Premises | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Macquarie | NSW | 29,990 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 2 | Orange | NSW | 22,739 | 6.0 | B |
| 3 | Buderim | QLD | 15,836 | 6.0 | B |
| 4 | Mornington | VIC | 15,384 | 6.0 | B |
| 5 | Maroochydore | QLD | 15,180 | 6.0 | B |
| 6 | Traralgon | VIC | 14,841 | 6.0 | B |
| 7 | Goulburn | NSW | 13,556 | 6.0 | B |
| 8 | Mount Gambier | SA | 13,134 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 9 | Ocean Grove | VIC | 11,860 | 6.0 | B |
| 10 | Wodonga | VIC | 11,852 | 6.0 | B |
| 11 | Wangaratta | VIC | 11,289 | 6.0 | B |
| 12 | Broken Hill | NSW | 11,226 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 13 | Forster | NSW | 11,041 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 14 | Rockingham | WA | 10,909 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 15 | Rosebud | VIC | 10,801 | 6.0 | B |
| 16 | Griffith | NSW | 10,136 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 17 | Gosnells | WA | 9,955 | 6.0 | B |
| 18 | Rye | VIC | 9,760 | 6.0 | B |
| 19 | Scarborough | WA | 9,596 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 20 | Hampton Park | VIC | 9,564 | 6.0 | B |
FTTN suburbs generally score in the C+ to B range (5.0–6.0 out of 10), reflecting the limitations of copper last-mile delivery. Many of these suburbs are eligible for FTTP upgrades, which would significantly improve their internet quality.