NBN today announced the installation of 12 portable satellite dishes at evacuation centres across the NSW South Coast and the Gippsland region in Victoria. A further five dishes are expected to be set up within the next 24 hours.

The national network builder is playing a critical role in keeping the affected areas connected with free WiFi available through portable Sky Master satellite dishes.

These connections provide free WiFi and phone charging services to any members of the community.

Free WiFi is available at the following locations Bermagui Surf Lifesaving Club, Bermagui

Cooma Multi-Function Centre, Cooma

St Georges Basin Country Club, Sanctuary Point

Hanging Rock Sports Club, Batemans Bay

Ulladulla Civic Centre, Ulladulla

Bombala Community Centre, Bombala

Omeo Recreation Reserve, Omeo

Bairnsdale City Oval, Bairnsdale

Goulburn Recreation Centre, Goulburn

Narooma Leisure Centra, Narooma

Bega Showgrounds, Bega

Moruya Basketball Stadium, Moruya Connections are expected to be up and running soon at; llawarrin Public Hall, Willawarrin

Lexton Recreation Reserve, Lexton

Kingscote Football Club, Kingscote

Fingal Neighbourhood House, Fingal

Ferny Creek Primary School, Ferny Creek

You can keep up to date with changes via the NBN Twitter and Facebook pages.

We understand the importance of internet connectivity for local communities at this time. We have now installed Sky Muster satellite dishes at 12 evacuation centres in NSW and VIC which are offering free wifi. Additional services will be installed at five new locations tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/jybCkWV22N — nbn™ Australia (@NBN_Australia) January 5, 2020

In the midst of a disaster, the internet plays an ever-increasing part in keeping us connected. Whether you’re using the Fires Near Me app to stay up to date or marking yourself safe on Facebook to put your loved ones at ease, online access is a necessity.

As the bushfires ravage our sunburnt country, over 24,000 NSW South Coast residents remain without power or reliable mobile networks. Without power or 3G/4G, our fire impacted communities are struggling to keep the valuable lines of communication open.

In might surprise you to know that, NBN Co’s Network Operations Centre (NOC) is proactive when it comes to preparing for major incidents and emergency events. The network has a growing list of hardware innovations for use in times of crisis.

In November 2019, NBN Co deployed its Network on Wheels infrastructure to keep more than 3000 services online after their Diamond Beach exchange was damaged in the fires.

Apart from the road-worthy tools, NBN Co also has satellite fly-away kits, emergency VoIP kits and a mobile command centre to ensure that our communities can access the network even in the direst situations.