The new national broadband network (NBN) will improve video conferencing, allowing more people to work from home and improve the country's productivity, its chief executive says.
NBN Co head Mike Quigley has been appeared before a federal parliamentary inquiry in Sydney where he's been questioned about the nine-year project to build the network.
He said the network will the nation save money in the long run and cited the use of teleconferencing his own office as an example.
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"We now have in our facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra - high definition ... video conferencing which means large bandwidth that saves us getting on planes," he said.
"We also expect more of our people (to) telework from home - that will keep people off the roads, which means less money needs to go into normal infrastructure."
Mr Quigley said video conferencing was an overwhelming driver behind demand for more bandwidth.
"I would say that the world is simply becoming more video oriented," he told the parliamentary committee travelling the country getting views about the NBN and its role and potential.
"It's not just about entertainment, it's about video conferencing, it's about medical imaging, it's about remote
education."
NBN Co's $36 billion mission is to reach 93 per cent of Australian homes.
Mr Quigley said there was still a common misconception that NBN will be an internet service provider, when in fact it will be a wholesale company.
"There's still a lot of people in the community who assume we are going to be the replacement for a retail service provider," he said.
"We've certainly learned that we need to increase our efforts in that communication."
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communication was sitting at NSW Parliament
House in Sydney on Friday.
