Chris Elliot, Wilcannia News
Wilcannia residents in the space of less than 300 years have moved from the traditional wooden message stick that, while designed to carry a lot of data, had low transfer speed, as it depended on how fast the carrier walked. In 1866 it took 70 days for a letter to come from London to Wilcannia. Now, at current average speed of 80Mbps you can send a 2-million-word document per second from Wilcannia to London. On the 250 Mbps plan you will be able to send around 6.25 million words per second, that is around 8 copies of the Bible. With the new NBN tower at the Shire depot nearing completion increased speeds will also have more, higher quality, data arriving in shorter times
Over 300 homes and businesses in the Wilcannia area will soon be eligible for NBN Fixed Wireless under the Regional Digital Connectivity Program.
With an NBN Fixed Wireless connection, the NBN broadband signal travels from the transmission tower using 4G technology and 5G mmWave technology to the NBN outdoor antenna attached to either the roof or an external wall to the NBN connection box inside your property. NBN does not currently charge phone and internet providers for a standard installation, and there are up to 5 plan offerings, 2 standard, and 3 high-speed. The newer, higher-speed plans are available with wholesale speeds of up to 100Mbps, 250Mbps or 400Mbps. The last one will only be available to those within a certain range of the tower, and technicians will test the wireless signal during the appointment.
It is expected that the work will be finished and testing completed by early next year. To find out more about the benefits of NBN Fixed Wireless and to check your eligibility for other NBN services and preferred retail service providers, visit www.nbn.com.au/CheckRegional.
But here’s the catch
At the community information session in the Hall on Thursday, NBN representatives explained that there may also be an increase in local scam calls from people pretending to be NBN technical support or door knocking impersonating NBN employees.
They stressed that: NBN will never ask for payment or access to your computer. As a wholesaler, NBN does not sell internet services or other related products directly to local homes and businesses. If you receive such a contact, please close your door or hang up the phone. You can report the incident to the ACCC’s Scamwatch at www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or contact IDCARE at 1300 432 273 if you believe you’ve given a scammer remote access to your computer or device.
This article appeared in Wilcannia News, 9 December 2025.
