RESIDENTS of the Carlton public housing highrise buildings will have access to some of the fastest internet in the country after being connected to the National Broadband Network.

Residents’ association secretary Hamdi Ali said works had started to connect the towers about a month ago, and the NBN was expected to be turned on within weeks.

“It’s very exciting,” he said.

“It’s going to be great. There are a lot of families here and children use the internet for communication, activities and education.”

Mr Ali said it had previously appeared that the housing estate was to miss out on the NBN under the original plans, so he contacted Melbourne federal Greens MP Adam Bandt for assistance.

Mr Bandt said he was pleased to have helped get the estate connected by pressuring Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

“The people living at the Carlton housing estate were being ignored while others around them were being connected to the NBN,” Mr Bandt said.

“Instead of being isolated, public housing tenants will now be some of Melbourne’s most connected citizens.”

Mr Turnbull’s office did not respond to the Leader’s questions by deadline.

ROLLOUT DATA

The company building the National Broadband Network says it has reached its 2013-14 financial year targets by doubling the number of premises ready for the service, tripling the services activated and quadrupling its revenue.

NBN chief executive officer Bill Morrow said late last month that the plan was to provide one in 10 Australian homes and businesses the ability to connect to the NBN in the 2014-15 financial year.