NBN rolls out 14 news sites

8 Jul 2010, 6:28 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Computer cable. (Getty)

Computer cable. (Getty)

The National Broadband Network announced the second stage of its rollout in mainland Australia, with 14 news sites across the country.

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The National Broadand Network co announced the second stage of its rollout in mainland Australia, with 14 news sites across the country.
  
Included in the 14 sites are the inner northern suburbs of Brisbane, Coffs Harbour in NSW and Victoria Park in Perth.

The NBN will also cost billions of dollars less than its original $43 billion price tag, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said.
  
Senator Conroy said it was still too early to put a final price on the massive project, but said talk of savings worth billions was "well informed".
  
"There have been, obviously, savings," he said.
  
The company building the network, NBN Co, was not yet in a position to release the final costings, Senator Conroy said.
  
"There are a whole range of commercial contracts, a whole range of commercial issues still being finalised, so the final costings will be able to be announced, but not quite yet," he said.
  
The savings are a result of an agreement reached between the government and Telstra last month that will see the telco lease its existing infrastructure to NBN Co.
  
The agreement must first be put to Telstra shareholders.
  
Senator Conroy has also ruled out any possibility of the government conducting a cost and benefit analysis on the NBN.
  
"Waste of time, waste of money, waste of space," he said.
  
The first NBN construction work began in Tasmania, while five sites were named in March for the first stage of the mainland rollout.
  
Approximately 3,000 premises in each of the 14 new sites will be connected to the NBN, although there's no timeframe for when connection will occur.
  
Construction work is expected to start on the second stage of the rollout in the second quarter of calendar 2011, after consultation with local councilson the specifics of the construction work.
  
NBN Co is in discussions with Telstra about the possible use of the telco's infrastructure in these early stages of the rollout, chief executive Mike Quigley says.
  
"We frankly don't want to dig up the ground where we don't have to," he told journalists.
  
"It's much better if we can use the facilities that are available, and so we are in discussions with them about that possibility."
  
Also announced were plans to connect more premises in the five towns in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia that formed the first stage of the mainland rollout.
  
Construction of the first stage of the mainland rollout is expected to start this month.

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Your Comments

Dismissive Arrogant Attitude

Damien Browne - from Melbourne, 2 years ago

"Senator Conroy has also ruled out any possibility of the government conducting a cost and benefit analysis on the NBN. "Waste of time, waste of money, waste of space," he said." This is the sort of attitude that made Rudd lose his job (He was saying negotiations with miners was a waste of time) and Garret burn down houses. All parties should purge this attitude from their ranks. Action without thought brings unforeseen consequences.

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