NBN Roll-Out Time-Table Finally Announced

The National Broadband Network (NBN) has recently announced its 3 year construction time-table for Australia’s new high-speed broadband network, with the Federal Government calling the time-frame ambitious but achievable.

What Sort of Time-Frame Are We Looking At? 

• NBN expects to have 953,000 customers connected to NBN by the end of this financial year.
• At the moment NBN has 600,000 activated clients, with another 1.3 million connections available.
• 9.5 million businesses & homes in total are expected to be linked, or have construction going-on by September 2018. 

What Does The Government Have To Say?

According to Mitch Fifield the Communications Minister, the NBN roll-out will still be less costly and much quicker compared to Labor’s original proposal.

“The NBN management and board are confident that the roll-out time-table of 2020 for the NBN can be reached. And they’re also confident that over the next 3 years they can build to ensure that 7.5 million premises have the access to the NBN, which will be an addition to the 1.3 million who currently do and the 700,000 that are currently under construction,” said Mr Fifield.

How Will This Schedule Be Adhered To?

According to the government, the time-frame will be achieved by using various technologies in constructing the NBN including:

1. Existing Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) networks

2. Fibre to the Node (FTTN)

Mr Fifield points out a few upgrades to the existing network is all that is necessary to get more than 3 million people already linked by the existing HFC networks onto the new NBN.

"This is one of the reasons why the Coalition can complete the NBN much faster and at lower cost than the Labor party, because we're using this fabulous network which is already there through the HFC."

At this point in time, the HFC network is still to be up-graded & united with the rest of the NBN network.

NBN Construction Time-Frame for Inner Sydney & Melbourne

Sydney NSW

• Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo, Barangaroo, Sydney centre & The Rocks – construction to begin 2016 (Either FTTN or HFC).
• Haymarket area (Surrey Hills, Chippendale, Ultimo & Darlington) should have NBN access in 2017.

Melbourne, Victoria

• CBD residents in areas such as East Melbourne, Collingwood, Abbotsford, Fitzroy will have HCF connection in 2018

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