Datavoice Cowra manager Craig Hambrook said yesterday 85 per cent of Cowra residents and businesses now had access to the service.

Mr Hambrook said the remaining 15 per cent would be able to enjoy the benefits of high speed internet connections within the next two weeks.

Connecting to the NBN is as simple as visiting Datavoice who will then generate an order for the service.

As long as you have a cordless phone in your home you can be connected and downloading at higher speed within days.

The process takes a little longer if you still have a phone socket in your home, Mr Hambrook said.

If this is the case a Telstra technician will have to visit do an upgrade.

Cost for the service will remain the same, he said, for most current internet bundle owners.

Those on old plans may have incur an extra cost.

If you want to boost the speed, two higher speed bundles are available giving you five times and 10 times greater download rates, there is also an extra cost.

Nationals’ MP and Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack, said the upgrade meant almost 5000 homes and businesses now had access to the NBN.

“This is great news for those residents and small business operators in Cowra who can now take full advantage of the opportunities available in Australia’s new high-speed broadband era,” Mr McCormack said.

“The Coalition Government’s NBN will boost productivity and provide a platform for innovation to ensure the economic and social benefits of the internet are available to everyone regardless of whether they live in the city or the regional areas of the country.

“The development of digital technologies has reduced business costs, changed how our children learn and study and made sure we can connect and engage socially in more ways than we ever imagined.

Cowra is now connected to the NBN using both fixed line and wireless technology.

Almost 4000 premises can now connect to the fixed line service which offers speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

Fixed wireless technology is available to those outside of the township, offering wholesale download speeds of up to 50 Mbps, more than twice as fast as ADSL2+ services experienced in metropolitan areas.

“Given that under the Coalition Government’s broadband policy, NBN has shaved years off construction time which will see the NBN connected to 3 out of every 4 homes and businesses in Australia in 2018, I encourage everyone to research what options are available to them in their area and consider signing up to this next generation technology to take advantage of all its benefits,” Mr McCormack said. 

Under the Coalition, there are more than 3.2 million homes and businesses able to order an NBN service, and more than 1.3 million paying customers have connected.

This compares to just 51,000 connections in the six years of the previous Labor Government.

It typically takes a couple of weeks to connect to the NBN after placing an order and new in-home equipment will be required that is compatible with the faster NBN service.

To connect to the NBN contact your preferred phone or internet provider and for more information on the NBN visit www.nbnco.com.au or call 1800 687 626.