NBN Co has announced a new national rollout plan revealing the next 1.9 million homes and businesses across more than 400 cities, suburbs, and towns set to receive the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The expansion of the rollout across every state and territory is the first to reflect the company’s new, flexible multi-technology approach and is an important step toward reaching its goal of 8 million connections to the NBN by 2020.
The plan provides an indicative view of scheduled construction work up to June 2016. It will be updated each successive quarter with further detail to reflect ongoing variations brought about by process and technology improvements.
This greater transparency will give individuals, communities and the telecommunications industry an accurate short-term view of construction progress while at the same time acknowledging the flexible nature of the rollout.
The new rollout plan states that by June 2016:
- An additional 1.79 million premises in the fixed line footprint will have access or work underway.
- An additional 128,000 premises in the fixed wireless footprint will have access or work underway.
This is in addition to the Long Term Satellite Service, which will see two satellites launched in 2016 that will serve the most remote and inaccessible premises in the country.
The rollout plan does not include premises in areas covered by Telstra’s and Optus’ fixed line pay television footprint – typically areas in the inner metro areas of major cities – which are earmarked to be served by upgraded, wholesale-only cable networks.
The integration of these cable networks into the NBN is part of current negotiations between NBN Co and both Telstra and Optus to amend existing agreements.
A key priority for the Government has been to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that the company has prioritised underserved areas, identified in the Department’s MyBroadband site.
Around 19 per cent of premises included in the National Rollout Plan are considered as underserved, compared to 16 per cent nationally.
The National Rollout Plan shows the commitment to rural and regional Australia. Of the areas receiving fixed-line rollout over 800,000 are outside of major urban areas. The 128,000 premises in the fixed wireless rollout are generally in rural and regional Australia and these premises are almost universally poorly served.
NBN Co CEO, Bill Morrow, said “We’re committed to bringing fast broadband to all Australians as quickly as possible. The new multi-technology approach enables us to do just that.”
“Over the past year, we have carried out successful trials of a range of new technologies, revised our build processes, and are renegotiating our partner agreements. As a result of this work, we are able to provide forecasts that reflect the next phase of our network build.”
“It is these forecasts that will enable our customers, the telephone and internet service providers, to be able to start planning the delivery of services over the NBN to these communities.
“Of course, the longer the forecast, the greater the likelihood that changes will occur. That’s only to be expected in a project of this magnitude.”
“Naturally some people will be disappointed that they are not included in the schedule but ultimately no-one misses out as the NBN will be made available to every Australian family and business by 2020.”
The rollout of the NBN continues to gather momentum with more than 300,000 Australian homes and businesses across Australia already connected and enjoying the benefits of fast broadband.
The rollout plan can be viewed on the NBN Co website.
