Speaking at a webcast panel discussion on the effects of the NBN on Australian society, organised by NBN Co, chief operating officer, Rachel Dixon said the NBN would act as an economic stimulus to regional small and medium business.

"There is a perception in this country and other countries you need [high speed broadband] in the cities, but one of the transformations is that not only does the NBN connect every household in the country but every business in the country.

"If I lived city like Armidale or Tamworth or one of the areas outside those cities, I would have to move to Sydney to open an office ... If I have access to a network that is connected to the world, then I can [have] my business in regional Australia -- not the city -- and I can find people who are educated."

Echoing Avaya director, Roy Wakim's that small and medium enterprises could reap considerable benefits from the NBN by utilising Cloud-hosted services, Dixon said regional start-up businesses could benefit from faster and more reliable access to Cloud providers.

"If you are starting up a small business in a regional area right now, all you need is a couple of laptops and you can rent the software and services you need ... you can call up a cloud provider and say you want to rent your accounting package and your HR package and you can start a business much more easily and grow it." Also speaking on the panel, communications analyst, Paul Budde, said the effect of the NBN would be to help bridge the gap between regional and rural Australia.