Affordable, family-friendly, the light rail and possibly having the fastest internet - there are many reasons to love Gungahlin.
But a new technology may deliver similarly fast internet speeds to the rest of Canberra, without costly NBN upgrades.
A pole problem
The rollout of the National Broadband Network, or the NBN, has been more complicated in Canberra than many other cities because many power poles are located in backyards.
Gungahlin suburbs like Nicholls, Forde, Wright, Bonner and Throsby benefit from fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections - the fastest connection offered by the NBN.
Top NBN suburbs
- Nicholls
- Forde
- Wright
- Bonner
- Throsby
- Source: Anthony Bortolotto, Infinite managing director
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Read on to see the lowest performing suburbs
Residents with fibre to the node (FTTN) connections, such as those in Richardson and Flynn, may struggle with slow internet speeds.
In 2022, the federal government invested $2.4 billion to upgrade more homes and businesses to fibre to the premises.
While the NBN company aims to have 90 per cent of the country upgraded to FTTP by the end of 2025, the higher speeds cover only 46 per cent of the ACT.
An NBN Co spokesperson said the company is working with Evoenergy to "quantify the scale, complexity and timing of power pole remediation works".
"There is some added complexity and costs to [NBN] associated with upgrades within the ACT because the majority of premises within the [NBN] footprint that are served by the Fibre to the Node (FTTN) network is reticulated through backyard power poles," they said.
Lowest performing NBN suburbs
- Richardson
- Gowrie
- Page
- Evatt
- Flynn
- Source: Anthony Bortolotto, Infinite managing director
Suburbs with the slowest internet, like Richardson, Page, Evatt and Flynn have overhead power lines, Infinite managing director Anthony Bortolotto said.
In some suburbs, residents can pay to upgrade their homes to fibre to the premises by paying for the up-front cost.
That can cost between thousands of dollars to more than $10,0000, according to Tom's Guide.
Another option
A new technology will soon allow Canberra households with FTTN connections to get faster internet without the NBN.
G.fast is currently only available to businesses in the ACT through Vision Network, which sells it wholesale.
It can deliver download speeds of up to one gigabit per second, spokesperson Mitchell Bingemann said.
"It is particularly useful in situations where it's not possible or practical to install new fiber-optic cables all the way to homes or offices," he said.
Telecommunications providers Infinite and iiNet will soon be offering residential homes plans using G.fast.
It will be available in the inner north; inner south; Weston Creek; most parts of Woden and Fyshwick and some parts of Tuggeranong and Belconnen, Mr Bortolotto said.
"Canberra is in a unique perspective whereby, because we have NBN and Vision, you now have a choice," he said.
Matthew Graham said he would have reconsidered renting his Campbell home if he knew how bad the internet was.
It is connected to the NBN through fibre to the node technology.
Mr Graham, who works for a US company, said he struggled during peak congestion hours.
His screens buffered during meetings, as his wife watched TV and twin daughters played on their iPads.
He got early access to an Infinite plan through his friendship with Mr Bortolotto, and said download speeds went from 30 megabit to 1.2 gigabit.
