James Riley
Friday, 30 July 2010 17:57
IT Policy -
Government Tech Policy
Page 1 of 2
The Gillard Government will take the advice of its KPMG-McKinsey implementation study and roll-out optical fibre in its national broadband network to 93 per cent of Australians – instead of the 90 per cent originally planned.
Speaking at the launch of network maps in Perth today that detail precisely which constituents will be serviced by 100Mbps optical fibre, and which will be serviced by slower 12Mbps WiFi and satellite technologies, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the plan would connect an extra 300,000 premises than intended to the superfast network.
The maps reveal the extension of optical fibre to 93 per cent of homes and businesses in more than 1,000 cities and towns across Australia by the end of the rollout, and how communities will be served by next generation wireless and satellite technologies under the NBN.
The KPMG-McKinsey implementation study said the additional three per cent of premises could be served with fibre without adding to the $43 billion price-tag for the network.
With Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, the Prime Minister said communities that were not connected to the fibre network would be serviced by wireless and satellite systems of not less than 12Mbps, up to 20 times faster than broadband services available today.
The NBN footprint includes all major population corridors. In all states, the fibre includes services to remote mining community towns, from the fast growing Roxby Downs in South Australia to Lightning Ridge in NSW to Kalgoorlie and Esperance in WA, and Mount Isa, Longreach and Charleville in Queensland.
Nationals Senators Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash – who championed a fibre network as junior Coalition partners in government in 2005 but turned against the idea once Labor went ahead with actual implementation – will be pleased the NBN fibre will run through their regional hometowns of St George (in Queensland) and Young (in New South Wales.)
And Nationals leader Warren Truss will also be happy his Maryborough constituents in the region north of Brisbane will also enjoy 100Mbps access speeds, with NBN Company fibre running through his home town. Mr Truss has repeatedly joined successful attempts to block the NBN and telecommunications reform legislation through the Parliament.
Senator Conroy said the NBN was "one of the issues which defines the choice Australians have at this election."
"Only Federal Labor is committed to bringing affordable high speed broadband to every Australian home, business, school and hospital." he said.
The Coalition has continued to attack the National Broadband Network plan as a waste of taxpayer dollars, but has yet to put forward its own proposal for improving internet access infrastructure across Australia.
