nbn has signed agreements for the design and construction of around 525,000 premises in Sydney and Melbourne, using predominately Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) technology.
While most of these homes will be served with FTTC, some may be connected via Fibre-to the Premises, Node or Basement (FTTP/N/B).
The three new FTTC Design and Construction Master Agreements (DCMA) agreements are with delivery partners: Downer EDI Limited; Fulton Hogan Construction; and, Service Stream.
The partners were selected based on performance metrics, ability to mobilise and support scale, and their design and construction capability.
The FTTC DCMAs enable nbn to issue work releases at the Fibre Serving Area (FSA) level, incorporating single-dwelling units, multi-dwelling units, bespoke premises, distribution and local fibre networks.
nbn Chief Network Engineering Officer, Peter Ryan, said, “The new agreements will support our world-leading FTTC technology.
“Importantly, we have the flexibility to deploy other technologies easily over time. The design and construction framework is intended to enable a faster rollout, by providing end-to-end accountability for the footprint,” Mr Ryan said.
The FTTC DCMAs aim to incentivise delivery partners to meet time and cost targets. This is designed to encourage ongoing performance improvements, through innovation and program management.
For premises outside the FTTC DCMA footprint, nbn is negotiating contract variations with its current delivery partners to incorporate the FTTC technology.