NBN Co releases 12-month national rollout plan

Work has begun on the rollout of the National Broadband Network in areas that are expected to cover more than half a million homes and businesses across Australia when complete.

NBN Co today released its inaugural 12-month construction outlook. The schedule lists the communities in each state and territory where work will begin between now and September 2012, as well as where work on the rollout of the network is currently underway.

The plan names 28 new locations as part of the national rollout passing 485,000 premises where construction of the fibre optic network is expected to commence over the following 12 months. It also lists those sites where the rollout is already underway, accounting for a further 63,500 premises, including Second Release Sites, such as Geraldton in WA, and extensions to First Release Sites such as Townsville in Queensland.

The 12-month schedule will be updated on a quarterly basis to include additional locations. Early next year the company will also issue a three-year indicative view of the rollout, to be updated annually until anticipated completion of the rollout in ten years time.

On average it is expected to take 12 months from the start of the fibre network rollout in a given area until individuals are able to receive high-speed broadband over the NBN.

Once the network is built and ready for service, householders and business owners can purchase broadband and telephony packages from one or more of the 28 retail telecommunications providers that have signed up to offer services over the network. Twelve of these companies have already completed the necessary accreditation and on-boarding process in preparation for service delivery.

NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley said:

"Today's announcement represents the start of a major nationwide construction effort that should eventually see us offer National Broadband Network coverage to every one of Australia's 13 million premises.

"We'll be publishing regular updates about where precisely the NBN is being rolled out and when it will reach each area. Public education activity, to launch next year, will also explain what the rollout will mean for every Australian, how to connect to the network and why it is important that the nation upgrades its telecommunications infrastructure."

The next phase of construction will also involve the rollout of the first stage of the transit network which will connect the different fibre access nodes to points where the traffic will be transferred to service providers. In this first stage NBN Co is planning to construct 149 transit links connecting 155 fibre access nodes, of which 30 are also points of interconnect. The company is nearing completion of a contract to build transit services over the next 12 months. To be completed over the next three years, the transit network is an important part of providing a National Broadband Network and will assist the roll-out of fibre, fixed wireless and satellite services.

In addition to the basic rollout information, NBN Co is today providing additional data to telecommunications companies and internet service providers in order to help them plan their investment programs and their marketing of services to consumers and businesses in each area.

This additional information includes rollout and activation data regarding new housing developments. NBN Co is already building fibre infrastructure in over 90 new developments spread across 65 locations nationally and comprising almost 5,000 premises. There are currently live developments in New South Wales where NBN Co has provided wholesale broadband services for several Retail Service Providers on an open access basis. For the next 12 months alone, NBN Co has approved applications with developers to build fibre in approximately 500 separate towns and suburbs nationally comprising over 67,000 premises.

NBN Co is currently progressing negotiations with a construction contractor to rollout the fibre network in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

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Notes to Editors

• NBN Co plans to rollout fibre optic broadband designed to offer its Retail Service Provider customers wholesale speeds of up to 100* Mbps to 93 per cent of Australian premises by 2021. The remaining 7 per cent of premises are expected to receive high-speed broadband via fixed-wireless and satellite, with the rollout of both services expected to be complete by 2015.

• The network has so far been rolled out and activated in areas passing 18,200 premises - three sites in Tasmania and the five mainland First Release sites. There are currently approximately 2500 active services on the network, including satellite and greenfields.

• Commercial services on the NBN fibre network were launched on 1 October and on satellite on 1 July 2011.

• NBN Co is rolling out the fibre network in a series of modules each of which passes around 3000 premises. In line with network design and planning rules, NBN Co will generally continue construction of new modules adjacent to existing construction locations until the entire fibre footprint in an area has been completed.

• NBN Co has named only the start date of the first module in a given locality as part of the one-year plan. In places where work is already underway, the date indicated marks the release of the design for the next module planned. Most of the sites where construction will start involve multiple modules and several may start at a given location in the period.

• For more information visit www.nbnco.com.au

*NBN Co is designing the NBN to be capable of delivering these speeds to NBN Co's wholesale customers (RSPs). Speeds actually achieved by retail customers (end users) will depend on a number of factors including the quality of their equipment and in-premises connection, the broadband plans offered by their RSPs and how their RSP designs its network to cater for multiple end users.

Please see attachment for full list of active sites, those under construction and where design and construction is planned to start over the next 12 months.

NBN Co 12-month rollout plan to premises

1. * = new location
2. List is subject to change
3. Commencement date marks the handover of the desktop design to the construction contractor for final design and construction.
4. NBN Co has only named the start date of the first module in a given locality in which construction is planned over the next year. The approximate number of premises covers only those areas in which construction is due to start in the next year. Most of the sites where construction will start involve multiple modules. There may be further construction modules and homes passed in a locality in subsequent years
5. Month in which work will commence - detailed maps will be grouped together and released as a package on the web site early in the next month