NBN kicks off FTTN roll out in new areas of Tasmania

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news The NBN has commenced construction work in Tasmania that will use fibre to the node (FTTN) technology to connect several new communities.

The introduction of FTTN technology is a “major factor” in speeding up the NBN rollout across Australia, including Tasmania, the NBN company said in a statement yesterday. The technology employs optical fibre connected to new nodes that are constructed in each neighbourhood. These are then connected to the existing copper telecommunications network to reach individual premises.

The NBN company had already begun work on its FTTN network in Tasmania. As of 31 December, over 116,000 premises are able to connect to the FTTN network in the state, with over 54,000 Tasmanian premises having chosen to activate a service, according to the NBN company.

Since New Year, construction has been continuing in parts of Hobart and Launceston, and new areas including parts of Evandale, Devonport, Tranmere and Howrah.

A large number of areas will see FTTN construction begin in the first quarter of 2016, including parts of Bicheno, Burnie, Cambridge, Dodges Ferry, Exeter, Hobart, Legana, New Norfolk and Westbury.

Additionally, the NBN is continuing to roll out fixed wireless coverage via towers in regional Tasmania, and will later this year launch access to fast broadband over the Sky Muster satellite, bringing access to more remote islanders.

The construction effort is an important step toward the national goal of connecting eight million premises to the NBN network by 2020, said the company.

“This year every part of Tasmania will see NBN activity in some form,” said Russell Kelly, NBN Corporate Affairs Manager Tasmania. “Whether it’s being connected or seeing construction start, or the announcement of new services via fixed wireless or satellite – all Tasmania is set to see the benefits of access to fast broadband.

The NBN rollout in Tasmania will accelerate during 2016 as construction starts in the remainder of urban Tasmania, much of it through FTTN, Kelly said.

He stated that FTTN is an efficient, fast and cost-effective way to build the NBN network because, by putting network equipment in the street, the distance data travels over copper is reduced and fast broadband speeds can be achieved. Furthermore, FTTN is generally non-intrusive as the existing copper network is used to connect each premises.

According to the NBN, trials of FTTN in NSW and Queensland have delivered excellent results, with end-users achieving fast broadband speeds. The company said the rollout is expected to be completed in Tasmania by June 2018.

Image credit: Office of Mitch Fifield

53 COMMENTS

  1. As of 31 December, over 116,000 premises are able to connect to the FTTN network in the state, with over 54,000 Tasmanian premises having chosen to activate a service, according to the NBN company.

    And how many Tasmanian’s would have had FTTP already had the Libs not cancelled the Fibre roll-out by sneakily renegotiating the Tassie contracts?

    • They were silly enough to vote liberal and believe the lies :/ so now they are getting exactly what they voted for along with the rest of us.

      I wasn’t aware there was meant to be any satellite in Tassie I thought it was before MTM mostly fibre with some fixed wireless (because they were the trial area).

        • only half or thereabouts has access to transact though (that’s the bit the NBN are building … sigh) rest has some of the worst ADSL connections in the country!

      • Based on Senate result first preferences, LNP only got 37.55% of the vote. So Tasmania seems to be getting an inferior NBN despite effectively voting for the grown ups’ version.

        • “I didn’t vote for them as first preference therefore I didn’t vote for them” is only an excuse for people who have no idea how the voting system works, and there’s no excuse for that.

        • 3 of the 5 seats held currently are LNP. 1 independent (Hobart) and 1 Labor (southern most area).

    • Derek O,

      ‘And how many Tasmanian’s would have had FTTP already had the Libs not cancelled the Fibre roll-out by sneakily renegotiating the Tassie contracts?’

      How long is a piece of string?

      Also the last I heard current NBN policy is MTM, this has been known since early 2013, why are you and others in 2016 completely bewildered that the old failed Labor NBN policy is not being implemented?

      • Reality
        Prob because we are bewildered at this current nbn policy in its epic failure.

        • ahh yes ‘predictions’ made in 2012, what we do know is that at the end of the Labor NBN model in 2013 and after six years of constant reductions in the FTTP rollout targets the downgrades got to the stage where rollout figures were HALF of what was originally predicted.

          Apparently the magic FTTP construction fairy was going to appear if Labor got back in and in 2016 Tasmania would have had FTTP by now.

          A total fantasy.

          • The fact is the Tasmanian rollout was going quite well till Abbott and Turnbull trashed nbn co!

          • Reality
            So it took FTTP 6 years to be half Of what they originally predicted. It took Turnbull 2 years to be a quarter of what they originally predicted. That’s pretty impressive.

          • Time to flip the coin
            Turnbull’s ‘predictions’ everyone to have 25mbps by 2016.
            After nearing 3 years we have 1,000 retail node users.

            Apparently the magic FTTN construction fairy is going to appear if Liberal get back in and in 2016 have Australia on 25mbps.

            See what I did thur?

          • Jason K,

            “It took Turnbull 2 years to be a quarter of what they originally predicted.”

            What ‘quarter of what’ figure are you referring to, FTTN only or all NBN rollouts, or something else, you are keeping it vague again?

          • Reality
            Well the originally predicted to have all connected by 2016 (10m-12m), 3 months in 4.5M connected. Now the cp16 predicted only 2.5m by the end of 2016. So 2.5m of 10m is a quarter.

      • “the last I heard current NBN policy is MTM, this has been known since early 2013”

        Really?? And here I was thinking that it wasn’t even mentioned until mid to late 2013. Could you mean early 2014? It probably explains why you think the Labor policy shouldn’t be implemented…a strong miscalculation of the facts.

        • Well reality thinks the pre election included HFC which it didn’t. So the MTM policy didn’t really start until the SR was released which was nov – dec 2013

    • Actually all or most of those as there aren’t any FTTN connections in Tasmania.

      Given the population of Tasmania is only about 500,000 it would be somewhat difficult to connect about 1/3 to a techonology that has only just started the build process.

      Great to see nbn(tm) seem to have difficulty in actually quoting figures on what they have allready done. Helps build confidence in their impartiality.

  2. If they had continued the fttp rollout so many more would have been connected. Why delay it by 2 years? What’s with the aversion to fibre? This government is insane in its ideologies. What about the people who are too far away but want the highest speeds available, namely 100/40?

  3. There are no premises able to connect to FTTN in Tasmania. All those connected, or able to connect, are FTTP.

    • @g 116k includes all tech, inc LTE. Breakdown of fixed line tech not in the weekly progress report but I suspect you’re right.

  4. I’m still yet to see a single FTTN customer make comments on a public post such as this.

    It seems like the Libs are claiming that ‘Able to connect’ is a house connected in their numbers. That seems hypocritical seeing as they lambasted the previous rollout for using ‘premises passed’ as a metric, seeing as the metric is almost identical in operation to ‘Able to connect’.

    These guys are criminals.

  5. gilby is correct. apart from a small number of fttbasement builds no copper based NBN has been built in Tas yet.

  6. I get the feeling they will stall connecting anyone to FTTN until after the election, so they can have 3 years of damage control when the reality of the cost and speed hits the electorate.

  7. Just seeing those cabinets like that, I can already imagine them being trashed in certain neighborhoods. I’ve already seen fire hydrant cabinets smashed open and broken, this would be even worse.

  8. The NBN in Tasmania will not be completed in 2018 as they will have to turn around and do it all over again and do what they should of done to start with and that is put FTTP in instead of this costly FTTN rubbish,. This will cost the country 100 Billion and take years longer than it should of to be completed.

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