NBN Co given approval to connect 150,000 more homes to minimise impact on construction industry

Updated

NBN Co has been given the green light to connect another 150,000 homes to the national broadband network by fibre optic cable, to try to minimise disruption to contractors while the future of the network is reconsidered.

The new homes to be connected include 31,000 in New South Wales and the ACT, 30,000 in Queensland, 31,000 in Victoria, 34,000 in South Australia and 23,000 in Western Australia.

The 150,000 premises are not yet listed on NBN Co maps online, but an NBN Co spokesman says areas will be added as contracts are written with construction companies from next week until February.

Concern was sparked this week by a decision to remove some areas that had been shown as in line to receive Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) from maps on the NBN Co website, reflecting the Government's new approach.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the maps had been corrected to show the actual state of play, accusing the former government of being misleading by listing areas as being "under construction" even though they were only at the planning stage.

An NBN Co spokesman says the maps now reflect the 230,000 homes and businesses passed by fibre, as well as the 300,000 where construction of the FTTP network is underway.

The decision to connect another 150,000 premises was made after the NBN Co made a recommendation for it to the Communications Department on October 23.

After consultation with the Communications Minister and the Finance Minister, the department approved the request on October 25.

A strategic review of the network is being undertaken by NBN Co chairman Ziggy Switkowski.

The review will consider what kind of technologies should be used to build the NBN now that the Government has abandoned the previous government's aspiration to connect 93 per cent of homes to the network via fibre all the way to the home.

NBN Co says it will make further decisions about the rollout after the review is finished, but in the meantime has been instructed to keep rolling out the network as it sees fit, to "minimise impact on the construction industry and employment".

Dr Switkowski is due to deliver his report to the Government in December.

Topics: information-and-communication, industry, internet-technology, nsw, act, vic, qld, sa, wa

First posted