NBN Co unveils three-year rollout plan

NBN Co, the organization responsible for the deployment of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN), has announced the first stage of its fiber deployment plans. Stage 1 calls for fiber deployment to be underway or completed in areas containing 3.5 million premises in 1500 communities in every state and territory in Australia – approximately a third of the nation’s homes and businesses.

The organization has posted a list of where the network is running, underway, or scheduled to begin deployment during this three year period on a “Communities in the rollout” webpage. Interested parties also can follow the rollout’s progress in their area by typing their location or postcode into an interactive NBN rollout map.

The figures include the three quarters of a million premises where construction work is underway or set to begin this year, including the eight early locations where the fiber network is already in service, NBN Co states.

The rollout will benefit from agreements between NBN Co and national carrier Telstra via which NBN Co will have access to Telstra’s existing infrastructure, including underground ducts and exchanges.

"This is a significant day for Australia’s digital future," said NBN Co Chief Executive Mike Quigley. "Construction contracts are in place and the major commercial and regulatory hurdles have been cleared, giving us the momentum we need to deliver better broadband to every Australian no matter where they live."

The full construction project is expected to take around a decade to complete, with 93% of premises receiving broadband via fiber, 4% via fixed wireless, and the remaining 3% by satellite.