First mainland NBN sites go live Q1 2011

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and NBN Co chief executive officer Mike Quigley have today announced 14 new sites for the mainland roll-out of the national broadband network (NBN), while also announcing that the five first release sites will also have additional new sites rolled out next door.

NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley with
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy(Credit: Josh Taylor/ZDNet Australia)

Each state and territory in Australia has now been included in the roll-out, with around 3000 homes expected to be connected at each of the locations.

"These sites have been selected based on a range of criteria including engineering and construction requirements, network design and the level of existing broadband infrastructure," Quigley said.

Unlike the first five sites, Quigley said local councils for the 14 new sites were consulted prior to the decision.

"The engagement of local government and the receptiveness of communities to broadband initiatives were also factors taken into consideration," he said. "From the feedback we got from those first five release sites we realised it's probably a good thing to do."

Determining where, within these new sites, the network would be rolled out would require further consultation with local councils, according to Conroy.

"The exact areas to be covered in these locations will be determined by NBN Co after further consultation with local authorities," Conroy said. "This takes into account the high importance of having a cooperative and consultative approach with local authorities."

Conroy reiterated that he had no influence on the decisions on where the sites were and indicated he would be visiting Tasmania shortly, where the first customers were hooked up to the network.

"The government has already prioritised the roll-out in Tasmania and I will be visiting that state in the coming fortnight to celebrate the first customers receiving NBN services in Australia," Conroy said.

Quigley said people living within the first and second release mainland sites should expect to be able to go online on the network in the first quarter of next year.

In addition to expansions of the first five sites originally announced, the new sites include:
• Victoria: Bacchus Marsh, South Morang (Melbourne)
• Queensland: Brisbane (inner north), Springfield Lakes, Toowoomba
• New South Wales: Riverstone (western Sydney), Coffs Harbour
• South Australia: Modbury, Prospect
• Western Australia: Victoria Park (Perth), Geraldton, Mandurah
• Northern Territory: Casuarina
• ACT: Gungahlin

Telstra also had a fibre announcement today, saying that over 300 residents in the town of Point Cook had connected to the company's fibre optic project there eight weeks after its launch.