Corning wins first NBN fibre deal for Tassie

James Riley
Thursday, 08 October 2009 06:55

Business IT - Networking

The NBN Company has passed a significant milestone with the awarding of its first contract for glass fibre cable - the intitial 300 kilometres - for the network that will ultimately connect homes and businesses across Australia.

The Tasmania NBN Company (TNBN) said New York-based Corning Cable Systems would provide the cable for the construction of the state’s backhaul network in the first tender issued under the Commonwealth’s National Broadband Network project.

The cable will be manufactured at Corning’s Melbourne-based plant.

A spokesman for Tasmania NBN Co told iTWire the initial order for fibre optic cable would provide close to 300 kilometres of backhaul fibre between the Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point communities – connecting about 5,000 homes.

The roll-out will be managed by TNBN partner Aurora Energy and connected to existing Tasmanian fibre owned by the State government and other infrastructure providers.

No detail has yet emerged from the TNBN about what assets the Tasmanian Government will tip into the company, nor the full role that Aurora assets will play. It is still not clear whether with the State or Aurora will be equity partners in the state NBN company.

While the initial construction this would involve backhaul only, it is understood the partners still want start connecting homes by the end of the year.

"Today’s announcement again shows NBN Tasmania and Aurora Energy are able to mobilise resources quickly to ensure the roll-out of what will be a landmark development for Tasmania and Australia as a whole," Tasmania NBN Co executive chairman Doug Campbell said in a statement.

"By connecting Tasmanian communities via fibre optic cable we are creating a piece of infrastructure that will greatly benefit these communities," Campbell said.