All property developments with over 100 premises set to get free fibre optic infrastructure from NBN Co.
The company responsible for the rollout of the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, has released key details of its plan to pay for the fibre of all new developments with over 100 premises. The changes begin on January 1, 2011.
Quigley made the announcement in Sydney during his first press conference of 2011. He said more than 70 online applications from developers for fibre had already been received, of which 40 were made on New Year’s Day.
According to NBN Co, just over half of all new developments have over 100 premises.
“We don’t yet have a network out there so this is not an easy job to do, so that’s why we’re going out on tender to see if we can get some Australian companies to help us,” he said. “We have a tender that closes…on Friday January 14, which we expect to evaluate within about a month.
But any new development with less than 100 premises will not be able to apply for the scheme. Telstra will still be expected to build copper infrastructure for these sites, which will then be converted to fibre when reached by the NBN’s rollout.
Developers will be expected to pay for the full cost of building pits and pipes for all new developments to be eligible for the scheme.
Quigley acknowledged NBN Co’s provision of free fibre would damage and take business from third party fibre optic cable providers, but said change to the industry was now inevitable.
“The industry is being transformed and there is going to be changes that will flow from that,” he said.