Approximately 58 per cent of the NBN network has now been completed in Tasmania, with the remaining homes and premises either in the planning phase or active construction.
This milestone has been reached thanks to a construction surge in 2016 combined with the launch of the Sky Muster satellite service, which is dedicated to providing broadband connectivity to regional and remote Australia, as well as Tasmania.
nbn Corporate Affairs Manager Tasmania, Russell Kelly said, “The construction effort in Tasmania is at its highest activity level of the build so far. We are connecting more premises than ever before, and doing it more quickly than ever.”
Since 30 June 2016, 162,472 premises in Tasmania are able to connect to NBN services across all technology platforms.
The availability of Sky Muster satellite services has put another 17,000 Tasmanian premises on the NBN map.
So far, 77,810 Tasmanian premises have connected to NBN services – a 96 per cent growth on the same time last year.
Parts of Evandale in the north and Howrah, Tranmere, Rokeby and Oakdowns in the south have become the first places in Tasmania to switch on to Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology.
The fixed-line rollout is in full swing with construction continuing in Hobart and Launceston, and new areas including Devonport, Tranmere and Howrah, Bicheno, Burnie, Cambridge, Dodges Ferry, Exeter, Legana, New Norfolk and Westbury.
Meanwhile, nbn continues to roll out fixed wireless coverage via a string of towers to regional Tasmania.
“Most communities in Tasmania will see some form of activity from the nbn during 2016,” Mr Kelly said.
The construction effort is an important step toward the national goal of connecting eight million premises to services over the nbn network by 2020.
