Construction of seven stage 2 Tasmanian National Broadband Network (NBN) sites is due to commence at the end of the month, with services expected to be available at these sites by the second half of next year.

 

An additional 11,100 homes and business will be connected to the NBN in the communities of Deloraine, Kingston Beach, George Town, Sorell, South Hobart, St Helens and Triabunna under Stage Two of the roll-out.

 

NBN Co, the national network wholesaler,  has announced the awarding of the Tasmanian fibre extension construction contract to Conneq, with construction of the sites due to be rolled out between May and October this year. Conneq is the new name of the company formerly known as Bilfinger Berger, and is part of the Lend Lease group alongside Abigroup and Baulderstone.  Aurora will continue as NBN Co’s Tasmanian agent for the rollout.

 

The extension will deliver FTTH services to an additional 11,150 premises across Tasmania, with each of the seven sites delivering services to between 500 and 2200 locations per site. Construction in each location is expected to take from approximately four to six months depending on the size of the site, with services planned to be available for installation in the second half of next year.

 

The extensions will allow individuals, industry and councils to choose between the original NBN planned fixed wireless and satellite or pay for the extension of FFTH services to the home.

 

The NBN debate has been fraught with allegations of city favoritism, as the 7% of the nation’s residents, the majority of which are outside major urban centres, will be ineligible for FTTH and will be forced to rely on satellite services, which is broadly seen as an inferior service to FTTH.

 

NBN Co chief executive, Mike Quigley, has been forced to defend the choice to only extend satellite services to those outside major urban centres.

 

“People in the bush, in the seven per cent, will get services that are at least equivalent to what people can get in cities on ADSL2 connections today” he said.

 

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings welcomed the initiative, saying that the greatest opportunities of the NBN are in connecting rural and metropolitan areas.

 

“Stage Two will complement the work that has already been done in existing fibre-enabled towns; Scottsdale, Smithton and Midway Point, which were the first in the country to be connected to the NBN” Ms Giddings said.