THE BIGGEST infrastructure project in Australia’s history was always going to be complicated, but with a change of Government, policy changes are inevitable.
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If you’re a little bewildered it may be understandable.
So what are the changes to the NBN model and what do they mean for us?
The onus of the Coalition Government is to complete the network that has already been started, as quickly and inexpensively as possible. The plan is to use a range of technologies including, but not limited to, fibre-boosted copper connections (fibre to the node), fibre to the premises, fixed wireless and satellite.
Under the new NBN, 71 per cent of Australian premises will receive fibre to the node, with 22 per cent receiving fibre to the premises, and the remaining seven per cent of Australians in regional areas receiving the NBN via fixed wireless or satellite services.
Regardless of which technology you receive, the Communications Minister has promised to deliver download speeds of 25Mbps to all Australians by 2016.
One issue of contention is the Coalition’s plan to charge a regulated price cap for NBN broadband. Previously, everyone in Australia would have paid the same for the NBN. Now, people living in cities could have access to discounted broadband, while regional areas like the Mid North Coast are likely to pay more.
For the 59,525 residents across the Mid North Coast who will receive a fixed wireless or satellite internet service, the broadband policies are essentially unchanged.
The fixed wireless service offers download speeds of up to 25Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5Mbps, a significant improvement on ADSL.
Nambucca was the first shire on the Mid North Coast to get access to NBN fixed wireless services, and many areas of the shire are currently live.
Amid the debate surrounding all these pits and pipes, one thing is certain: Australia’s telecommunications network is receiving a long overdue facelift. It’s now up to us to take advantage of the opportunities this provides.
Regional Development Australia has been proud to provide THE Exchange expo and our new Connect Mid North Coast website as a free source of information on the NBN and we will continue these programs in 2014.
To find out more information on the NBN, go to www.connectmnc.com.au.
