The NBN wheel of fortune spins again

by William Maher | Tuesday 18 October 2011

See if you're on the list of towns and cities next in line for the National Broadband Network.

Currently, the NBN is an exclusive club - the total number of "active services" on the network is only about 2,500. But the club is growing.

According to the official schedule, it will be 2021 before 93% of Australian homes are connected to fibre Internet via the NBN - that's an eternity when it comes to technology, but not for some.

Below is the list of which towns and cities will be connected in the next 12 months, including 28 new places where the fibre will be rolled out, either via ditches or via overhead lines, connecting users at speeds of up to 100Mbps.

The tablet below lists the months in which work will start. The NBN Co. estimates that it will take a year from the time work starts, until users are able to connect to the Internet. If you're scanning the list and concerned that the numbers of premises in your suburb seems small, that's because the work will be done in stages, or modules as NBN Co. calls them.

If you're not on this list, then don't despair. The list will be updated every quarter, with the network builder saying more locations will be added. It's expected that more than 500,000 homes will be covered by the NBN rollout in a year's time. This includes:

18,200 premises where network is ready
63,500 premises where work is already underway
485,100 premises in areas where construction will start within next 12 months

The table below shows which new locations where construction will start on the NBN marked with an asterisk. Table source: NBN Co.

Up until recently, mainland users in trial sites had to be invited by their ISP to signup for the NBN. They can now contact an ISP offering NBN services and sign up for a plan.

Reactions on forums to the price of NBN plans has been mixed. iiNet's NBN plans, for example, offering in general more data for the same price or less than an equivalent ADSL plan. Prices from various ISPs vary, but for example, it's possible to pay more than $100 for Terabyte plans at 100Mbps, or $34.50 for a 12Mbps 20GB plan.

Also read:

Understanding the NBN: You only get so much beer from the tap

Fibre vs HFC: Understanding the NBN technology debate

Connecting to the NBN: this is the network boundary point

What an NBN connection looks like

Photos: here's what an NBN-install might look like in your street

Prices revealed: iiNet will charge $49.95 for entry to NBN

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welshdog 18 October 2011	Lucky me. I live in between Blacktown and Riverstone. I doubt I'll get on the NBN before I'm drawing a pension!! :( Comment made about the PC & Tech Authority article: The NBN wheel of fortune spins again? See if you're on the list of towns and cities next in line for the National Broadband Network. What do you think? Join the discussion.
MeMyself 18 October 2011	Lucky you for sure. Where I live is usually not even on maps
amcmo 18 October 2011	By that time it will have been overtaken by some other tech. A VERY large percentage of faithful Labour electorates in there! Got the independents greased, now to cover the faithful and any wavering locales. Guess if you live in a strongly Lib/Nat area you get screwed over again, or am I getting cycnical?
DJ... 18 October 2011	Why are they installing it in places like Melbourne Central which already has hi-speed ADSL, Cable, wireless and who knows what else. How about installing in places (like where I live) that doesn't have a reliable mobile network and ADLS if you're lucky and live close to an exchange. By the time the Libs get back in, the haves will have even more and the have-nots will have to wait even longer to get anything.
Rodimus 18 October 2011	I really don't get why NBN isn't targeting suburbs/exchanges with poor speeds or that are "full". Am I being too logical.
John 18 October 2011	At the rate they are installing, the technology will be dated. Who knows what other technology will be offered five or ten years down the track which is probably when we will get it. If ever?!
truckieboy 18 October 2011	I live 250 metres from fibre optic cable, approx 700 metres from Telstra exchange, approx 25 kms to nearest mobile tower and can't even get caller ID let alone any other fancy stuff. Most of the time we suffer dropouts on the mobile service (even with a roof antennae). The current Government and Telstra ought to be ashamed of themselves.
rubaiyat 18 October 2011	Just remember it was the Liberals who screwed you with the Telstra float that destroyed many people's savings just so the Liberals could claim to create a "free market" where a near monopoly Telstra would prevent progress because it was not in their corporate interest. If Abbott has his way he'll get to build on that fantastic success, by stopping anything else getting through.
shamaka 18 October 2011	I was amused at the list of sites being connected. I lived in WA in South Perth, directly opposite the CBD. They're getting connected (along with several other inner city suburbs) but in the rest of Australia, it's the outer fringe suburbs and remote country areas being connected! I agree with Rodimus about the NBN's approach. I live near the Norwood (SA) exchange and there are people who cant get ADSL because it is "full" I'm no fan of the NBN, but at least if was installled here there would be a lot of customers who cant get access. Aside from that when will ISP's provide dial up customers with ADSL on a pre paid plan. Many people (especially oldies like my parents) could use this for the occasional large emails (with pictures and so on) rather than being forced onto expensive post paid plans! I think there would be many people who would like that option (eg $30 for say 10GB download lasting for 6-12 months!) Not everyone can afford or indeed wants broadband, but if the copper services disappear its going to be a great burden on them. Lets face it, its already been said that the copper wires will be ripped up as soon as practicable. How long do you think it will be before the NBN says the copper service needs to be stopped because they havent got room to install the "switching gear".
Rallygreg 18 October 2011	shamaka wrote: Aside from that when will ISP's provide dial up customers with ADSL on a pre paid plan. Many people (especially oldies like my parents) could use this for the occasional large emails (with pictures and so on) rather than being forced onto expensive post paid plans! I think there would be many people who would like that option (eg $30 for say 10GB download lasting for 6-12 months!) You can get wireless prepaid plans that last for 12 months but you will be paying $100 - $150 for around 10gig from the major companies. Even at $150 that's only $12.50/month which isn't too bad for reasonably fast internet that can also be used on the go. Edited by rallygreg: 18/10/2011 07:12:05 PM
gnome 19 October 2011	It seems that as usual, self-interest is alive and thriving in some of the above posts. NBN will soon be superseded (by what?) and is a waste of money - unless my area is on the current construction list, of course. :-(
Drifter 19 October 2011	So gnome are you suggesting they scrap the NBN and do nothing and play into the Fiberals hands?
amcmo 19 October 2011	gnome, The whole NBN debate is about self interest, from both parties. 9-10 years is an eternity in tech. You can guarantee that the current NBN spec will have been overtaken. Whether it is by a spec than can be applied to the infrastructure like a software update, or one that makes the NBN infrastructure (all how many $B) obsolete we'll have to wait and see.
gnome 19 October 2011	@Drifter, sorry, should have added 'sarcasm' after my post! @amcmo, of course ANY tech will change over time. The beauty of NBN is that once in place it is so scalable. It will be simple and relatively cheap to upgrade the tech standard without having to change the main source of expense, the fibre network.
amcmo 19 October 2011	Gnome, it may in theory be cheap to upgrade the tech, provided the new tech is fibre based, however we now have the new Telstra monopoly under a different name. When Telstra had the monopoly on copper before they saw the money to be made, they restricted people an large areas of Australia, inc new subdivisions and business developments, to dial up, due to their taking the cheap way out with Pair Gain on phone lines. Having the monopoly, until others started putting their own backbone in some areas, Telstra refused to budge, despite the relatively low cost of Pair Gain compatible mini DSLAMS. I know we had to go microwave in one of our Sydney offices for over 2 years. NBN may not be called Telstra, but it will have the same monopoly effect.
rubaiyat 19 October 2011	With one big difference, the NBN will be just a wholesaler and own the "pipes" so has no interest in crippling their usage.
amcmo 20 October 2011	But with a locked in customer base and total monopoly, they have no incentive to spend on new tech and improving speeds/service.
rubaiyat 20 October 2011	How about sheer boredom at simply owning, managing and maintaining digital pipes?
shamaka 21 October 2011	"You can get wireless prepaid plans that last for 12 months but you will be paying $100 - $150 for around 10gig from the major companies. Even at $150 that's only $12.50/month which isn't too bad for reasonably fast internet that can also be used on the go." Thats still a lot for a pensioner and assumes you can get wireless, especially when dial up does what you want. Plus you have to get a wireless router and change email addresses. Even though my dad is mentally active, you'd be amazed at how many companies (incl government agencies) and people have trouble keeping their records up to date.
photohounds 23 October 2011	Not much for us locally. It's what you get if your electorate always votes one way - in this case Lab. If I were "selling" the government's "features", NBM would NOT be one of them. A snail's pace with what will be antiquated technologt BEFORE it is half way there. I see a few of us are aware of the WHITE elephant in the room, he's right right next to 400lb money-eating Gorilla! ... sigh