Gillard and Conroy to release NBN rollout maps as network reach expands

Communications minister Stephen Conroy will unveil a “blueprint” for the National Broadband Network today, confirming which suburbs will be covered by a combination of fibre-optic cables, wireless and satellite services as part of the multi-billion dollar project.

The announcement, to be made with Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will unveil comprehensive maps of how the NBN will be rolled out, showing Australians whether their suburb will be covered by fibre cables, wireless or satellite services.

Conroy also said this morning he supports a subscription model where users would have to opt out of being connected to the network.

“The Government has extended NBN Co’s fibre coverage objective from 90% to 93% of homes, schools, hospitals and businesses,” Conroy said on ABC Radio this morning.

“And this means an extra 300,000 premises will receive fibre optic broadband which is great news right across Australia.”

Conroy says about 4% of homes will be connected via wireless, with another 3% to be connected through satellite services.

The blueprint comes as the Government is attempting to put the NBN at the forefront of its election campaign.

The Tasmanian NBN became a key focus this morning after Conroy said the take-up in Tasmania is better than expected, at about 50% of homes. He says this number is only at 50% because the Government needs to get written permission to access people’s property in Tasmania.

“The cynics, the doomsayers claim we were only going to get 10% or 15%. Well after just three months we have already got 50% signed up,” Conroy said.

The Tasmanian Government is currently considering legislation that would require all residents to be connected, and then opt-out of the service. When questioned about whether that model would extend to the rest of the country, Conroy said “we believe that the most efficient way to deliver this service is to have that process”.

Coalition leader Tony Abbott has threatened to kill the NBN if he wins Government, and Conroy says that shouldn’t be allowed to happen considering services in Tasmania are already operating.

Conroy told an Australian Information Industry Association event yesterday he believes the project has already reached a stage where it can’t be stopped.

“There are people in Tasmania who absolutely frantic that Tony Abbott is about to shut down this network. He says it can be left by itself, but the Tasmanian NBN is not viable by itself. It needs the whole network to offset it.”

The push for the NBN also comes as the Government admits it has had a hard time reaching Australians about the benefits the network will provide. At the AIIA event yesterday, Conroy said despite a multi-million dollar advertising campaign for the network, people still haven’t realised what it’s all about.

Businesses aren’t entirely sure how the network will affect them either. A recent survey from ISP Pacnet, (which yesterday announced it will build a subsea internet cable between Australia and the United States), reveals 31% of SMEs believe the NBN will have a minimal impact on their business.

Conroy said yesterday businesses may not realise now how they can benefit from the network, but they will need to innovate and discover new ways of how faster internet connections can create more efficient products and features.

“I like to use the fruit and vegetables example. When we announced Brunswick in Victoria would be one of the NBN sites, some journalists went out and asked a fruit and vegetable grocer what he would do with the NBN. He said that if he just had electricity, he’d be fine.”

“But there’s a fruit and vegetable dealer in Adelaide who has used fibre services to create a system where if he lifts a rack of vegetables off a sensor, a new batch is already ordered. I think businesses will need to innovate.”

Conroy also said he believes broadband download caps are being driven out of the market, and said the recently announced Pacnet cable should help increase pricing competition.