The first Victorian National Broadband Network (NBN) test site is now live, with NBN Co today switching on the connection in Brunswick, Victoria.
NBN Co today held an event to launch the Brunswick site, which is the first to be switched on outside of New South Wales where the first two mainland trial sites were connected in Armidale and last week in the Kiama Downs and Minnamurra area. Works started in the area in October 2010, with Telstra, NBN Co and the Moreland City Council working closely together to ensure the project ran as smoothly as possible and reduce the disruptions to local residents.
Approximately 2,689 Brunswick premises are in the fibre footprint of the trial site. Around 52 percent of residents took up NBN Co’s offer to connect them for free to the high-speed NBN, although many won’t be able to use the NBN until October, when the trial period ends.
“The launch today of the NBN in Brunswick and new construction activity we’ve announced are the latest steps towards delivery of a crucial piece of nation-building infrastructure,” NBN Co Chairman, Harrison Young said in a statement. “The National Broadband Network has the potential to deliver genuine competition in telecommunications and benefit Australian homes, businesses, schools and hospitals for decades to come.”
Some lucky residents in the area will have the opportunity to begin using the NBN in the coming days and weeks as part of a number of trials being conducted on the network before it opens up to everyone in early October.
Out of the five initial mainland trial sites, just two remain to be switched on, with one situated in the suburbs of Aitkenvale and Mundingburra in Townsville, Queensland and the other in Willunga, South Australia. According to a NBN Co spokesperson, work at both remaining sites is “progressing well.” “We will have local events in these areas marking the official launch of services,” the spokesperson said.
As the trial sites near completion, attention will soon turn to the second release sites, which expand upon the first release sites and are due to start before the end of this month. NBN Co also yesterday revealed works will soon get underway in five locations across mainland Australia, building its 4G fixed wireless network.
Image credit: NBN Co
i love these comments from street level:
”I couldn’t afford it [the NBN], and we don’t have a computer anyway … I have no interest whatsoever in technology.” NBN Co has installed a distribution unit outside Mrs Lynch’s house, which she said needs constant cleaning to get rid of graffiti.”
“A small business owner said he agreed to have a connection installed, but is reluctant to activate it…
it’s going to cost more than normal broadband. Broadband speeds are enough for me, I don’t download movies and stuff,” Chris Sara of Discount Manchester said.”
“Other small business owners complained about construction trucks and crews blocking the roads and ripping up concrete in front of their stores.”
“Hairdresser Teresa Demaria said her business did not need fast internet access.”
http://www.theage.com.au/national/brunswick-locals-rolled-by-nbn-20110803-1ibq1.html#ixzz1U1hDUkIp
Of course you love them… because you’re just a glass half-empty kind of guy, right?
By the old ladies logic, we shouldn’t have electricity distribution boxes, or Telstra distribution boxes, or hey, even front fences.
The guy claiming it is going to cost more is just wrong – can’t speak for other RSPs, but Internode’s 12mbit plans are identical to their existing ADSL2+ plans, so if you currently have a landline+ADSL then NBN+VoIP will in fact be cheaper. A vast majority get below 12mbit as well.
And the hairdresser… well, I’ll just leave her alone out of politeness.
the glass has to be almost full, if you’re gonna push fibre indiscriminately to everyone in Brunswick.
comments from people off the street who simply do not understand or are frightened due to all the misinformation floating around.
read their comments again and consider if it were FTTN or wireless towers being installed instead.
i’d suggest all comments would be exactly the same.
Comments would be the same? I think not.
For one, they are not having the NBN shoved down their throats, with the threat of losing all services if they don’t sign up.
Secondly, they will have a choice as to what services they want.
So, if gameboy wants a 100Mbps connection, he can well and truly pay for it. If Aunt Molly just wants the phone service she’s always had, things are sweet. MOST people who have internet and are happy with it won’t don’t need to freak out about how much the NBN will cost them in the long term…
Quite different, don’t you think? (oh thats right, you didn’t)
Is it just me or are other people getting tired of these button pushing ceremonies?
IMO, it’s even worse that they do it for the start of the trial period where only a handful of customers can access it – that just starts the chorus of “$50b for only four users” types. Why not wait until the end of the trial period and press the button on the day a thousand users start using it?
What happened to the interactive dance mat?
It needs to be asked and I await with gleeful anticipation for the Pro-Labor-NBNers to explain why it is that only 52% of the population took up the offer of free hookup..?
It’s been widely publicised that the reasons for the low take up are that there are many apartment complexes with shared facilities and multiple owners, that area also has many rental properties. That means you need to have meetings and agreement between body corporates, owners and tenants, you can’t get the all necessary permission and access by knocking on the door and asking whoever opens it. This location was chosen as one of the initial sites for this reason – so they can work out policies and procedures for working around these problems in the future.
I’m sure that Labor has widely publicised such guff, its to be expected. I am also sure that Conroy is feeling positively desperate!
Its also been widely publicised that the low take up rate is due to the fact that…….. people dont want it :-)
I have always said Brunswick will be the first real test, inner urban suburb of a major capital city with plenty of ADSL2+ choices from a number of ISP’s, and of course multiple wireless 3G carriers.
No wonder Conroy wants the HFC and ADSL network shut down, faced with viable choices residents give the NBN a miss.
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