Industry News

The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has announced the 12-month plan for the roll-out of the NBN today, which will see the network pass through 49 sites over the next year.

The new work, commencing today and continuing through to September 2012, will see 485,000 homes and businesses added to the new high-speed fibre network. The full list of work for NBN Co over the next 12 months includes rolling out the network to 15 regional centres and suburbs in New South Wales, two in the Northern Territory (including Darwin), one in the Australian Capital Territory, six in Queensland, 10 in South Australia, 12 in Tasmania (including Launceston), seven in Victoria (including Melbourne City) and seven in Western Australia.

The full list of sites includes (new sites italicised):

ACT: Gungahlin New South Wales: Armidale Blacktown Coffs Harbour Dapto Gosford Jamberoo Kiama Lidcombe Long Jetty Penrith Richmond Riverstone Sawtell Strathfield (Homebush) Wollongong Northern Territory: Casuarina Darwin

Queensland: Aspley Goodna Nudgee Toowoomba Townsville Townsville City South Australia: Aldinga Beach Modbury Port Augusta Port Elliot Prospect Seaford/McLaren Vale Stirling Strathalbyn Yankalilla Willunga Tasmania Deloraine George Town South Hobart Kingston Beach Launceston Midway Point Scottsdale Smithton Somerset Sorell St Helens Triabunna

Victoria Bacchus Marsh Ballarat Central Brunswick Melbourne City Melton South Morang Tullamarine Western Australia Applecross Geraldton Mandurah Meadow Springs Pinjarra South Perth Victoria Park

Speaking at a press conference in Wollongong, New South Wales, today, the CEO of NBN Co, Mike Quigley, said that the release schedule will be updated quarterly to include new site information, before a three-year construction roadmap is outed next year, which the company plans to update annually. The CEO added that the public information campaign for the NBN will also kick off early next year.

"Today's announcement represents the start of a major nationwide construction effort that should eventually see us offer National Broadband Network coverage to every one of Australia's 13 million premises.

"We'll be publishing regular updates about where precisely the NBN is being rolled out, and when it will reach each area. Public education activity, to launch next year, will also explain what the roll-out will mean for every Australian, how to connect to the network and why it is important that the nation upgrades its telecommunications infrastructure," Quigley said.

Quigley also announced that NBN Co is nearing completion on the contract that would see it begin work on the first stage of the national transit network.

"The next phase of construction will also involve the roll-out of the first stage of the transit network, which will connect the different fibre access nodes to points where the traffic will be transferred to service providers. In this first stage, NBN Co is planning to construct 149 transit links connecting 155 fibre access nodes, of which 30 are also points of interconnect. The company is nearing completion of a contract to build transit services over the next 12 months.

"To be completed over the next three years, the transit network is an important part of providing a National Broadband Network, and will assist the roll-out of fibre, fixed wireless and satellite services," Quigley said.

The NBN Co chief also announced that the company would begin supplying greenfield deployment information to telcos from today to assist in planning future network investment. Information available to telcos and retail service providers includes data on almost 5000 premises in 90 different new sites across the country where NBN Co is deploying fibre.

Source: ZDNet.com.au