NBN to hit halfway point in 2017

nbn, the company entrusted with building and operating Australia's largest infrastructure project, says it's on target to reach the midway point by 30 June this year.

The company is targeting a total footprint of 5.4 million homes and businesses and says the network build is accelerating, with 277,000 homes added to the footprint last month alone. The number of people able to connect will expand to 9 million homes by June 2018, with the end of the rollout then in sight.

The next 12 months will be significant in terms of scale for both the number of people who can access the network and the number of paying customers. To date, more than 70% of nbn’s rollout has happened in regional and rural areas; this year will see more construction commence in metropolitan areas along with continued work right across the country.

CEO Bill Morrow said the halfway point is significant.

“Midway through the year, half the NBN network will be completed. This will be a significant turning point as we aim to finish the build by 2020 and become the first fully connected continent in the world.

“We have developed strong foundations, processes and systems, and this year we will be opening up the NBN network to new regions, including many metro areas, for the first time.

“The intensified deployment will present challenges but the nbn team, along with our partners and retailers, is focused on a positive experience for customers and end users as we accelerate the build and connection rates to new records,” Morrow said.

Complexity of connecting the entire continent

With the rapid pace of the build, nbn faces the additional challenge this year of deploying the NBN network into higher density metro areas, where access to pits and existing infrastructure becomes more difficult. This may mean disruption from civil works, visible for the first time in cities.

“As the NBN network rolls out into cities, we will be met with new problems to solve.

“We understand there will be some disruption for residents and business owners as the 14,000 people working across nbn and our delivery partners complete the task as soon as possible.

“The payoff will be worth it, with universal connectivity delivering health, commerce, education and lifestyle benefits to all Australians,” Morrow said.

Some of the metropolitan areas where construction will begin or switch on this year include:

State	Local govt area
NSW	City of Sydney, Campbelltown, Warringah, Randwick, Hills District
Vic	Boroondara City, Casey City, Glen Eira City, Knox City, Moonee Valley City
Qld	Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast
SA	Onkaparinga, Salisbury
WA	Fremantle, Bassendean
Tas	Hobart, Devonport