Fixed broadband plays a vital role in connecting Australians, and significant public investment has been made to develop our fixed broadband infrastructure with the rollout of the NBN.

The Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research will monitor indicators that are relevant to fixed broadband in Australia, and make comparisons to countries with similar economies and geography.

Fixed broadband plays a vital role in connecting Australians, and significant public investment has been made to develop our fixed broadband infrastructure with the rollout of the NBN. Fixed broadband is and will remain an important part of Australia's broadband infrastructure, particularly given the high proportion of traffic it carries. It is important that the performance of Australia's fixed broadband infrastructure is known and comparable to our international peers, especially in the COVID-19 environment.

While existing international comparisons can provide useful insights, data availability and challenges in comparing like for like indicators across countries mean that they do not always provide an accurate picture of Australia's relative performance. In particular, existing measures fall short in enabling comparisons between countries with similar economic compositions, technology, population and geographic features.

To provide transparency on Australia's relative performance, the Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research will monitor indicators that are relevant to fixed broadband in Australia, and make comparisons to countries with similar economies and geography. A methodology has been developed to provide a transparent and robust basis for ongoing monitoring.

The findings from the new methodology will be published by the Department's Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research (BCARR) in a series of fact sheets, with the indicators able to be updated over time.