NBN confirms construction rollout for second release sites

Coffs Harbour, Armidale and Townsville will be some of the next cities to get access to the National Broadband Network, after the Government-owned company confirmed start dates for construction in the second batch of release sites.

The announcement comes just days after Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced the second mainland NBN location had been connected in Kiama Downs and Minnamurra. The Melbourne suburb of Brunswick is also set to have a test site connected tomorrow.

It also comes after shadow communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull confirms the coalition will not remove existing NBN infrastructure if it won the next election.

Today NBN Co. said nine locations would be listed as part of the second batch of release sites, with construction to start as early as this month. The locations and construction timelines include:

• Coffs Harbour – August 2011
• Armidale, NSW – August 2011
• Townsville, QLD – September 2011
• Kiama township and Jamberoo, NSW – September 2011
• Toowoomba, QLD – October 2011
• Gungahlin, ACT – October 2011
• Riverstone, NSW – November 2011
• Goodna/Springfield Lakes – November 2011
• Aspley, Brisbane – December 2011

NBN chief Mike Quigley said in a statement the Telstra agreement has allowed the company to finalise the proposed schedule for the next round of sites, which are a mixture of previously announced sites and extensions of current construction.

“The use of Telstra’s infrastructure, where it is available, should reduce the amount of disruption for the community and provide a smoother and more efficient rollout. It was for this reason that we waited to start this next phase of construction.”

“The plan is to continue the rollout by extending from the places where we have started in the first and second release sites, as well as add other sites as planning progresses.”

Telstra this week submitted its structural separation agreement to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, although the telco has been criticised by Optus, which said that the agreement doesn’t necessarily ensure that other companies will be able to access the network fairly.

The Telstra agreement is expected to be put towards shareholders this year.

Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull has told ABC this morning that the Coalition will not remove existing NBN infrastructure if it wins the next election.

“All of the NBN infrastructure will remain in place,” he said. “We will ensure its value is maximised.”

Turnbull is expected to outline the coalition’s broadband policy today.