JANUARY 19, 2011 -- NBN Co. has awarded an equipment contract worth up to AUS $110 million over five years to Australian fiber-optic equipment manufacturer Warren and Brown Technologies.

The company will provide the optical distribution frames and sub-racks that will connect NBN network equipment to external cabling. NBN Co. recently awarded cabling contracts to Corning Cable Systems and Prysmian (see "NBN Co. inks Corning, Prysmian for Australian NBN FTTH fiber").

The initial purchase order is for AUS $50 million. The optical distribution frames and sub-racks used in the various fiber access node (FAN) sites involve sheet metal manufacture and assembly of fibre-optic connectors.

The NBN aims to connect 93% of Australian homes, schools, and workplaces with optical fiber to deliver broadband services with speeds of up to 1 Gbps. The network will cover 4% of premises with a wireless service and 3% by satellite with speeds up to 12 Mbps.

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