The National Broadband Network is expected to help create more than 5500 businesses and tens of thousands of jobs in South Australia by 2021.
Research commissioned by NBN Co shows the growth of businesses in SA connected to the network in 2017 grew at twice the pace of the national average, with 230 new companies created.
"We're already seeing promising examples of highly-connected areas, such as Mount Gambier in the southeast, counter industry downturns by creating online start-ups to reach overseas markets," NBN Co chief Bill Morrow said on Thursday.
NBN Co now believes up to 35,700 digital jobs, including software programmers and graphic designers, will be created in the state by 2021 as a result of access to fast broadband.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said the rollout of the NBN was critical to the nation and the full economic benefit would only be realised once the network was rolled out in full.
"What we have here is the entire nation shifting to a new network, this is something that happens maybe once every 100 years," he said.
The broadband network is also expected to rapidly boost self-employment in the state, with more than 6500 additional people expected to be self-employed by 2021.
"The story here in South Australia is an unequivocally good one - already 64 per cent of the state can access the NBN," he said.
Full roll out is expected to be completed by 2020.
