27 February 2017

NBN brings forward roll out in the ACT - a win for the whole community

| Kim Fischer
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National Broadband Network

The RiotACT article in January about the NBN’s sneaky decision to delay many of its roll out dates for the ACT clearly hit a nerve with local readers and residents. It received over 1000 shares on Facebook and 10,000 views on RiotACT.

Many readers took the extra step of contacting the NBN directly on social media and via email, expressing their dissatisfaction and asking for an explanation.

Clearly, someone at the NBN has been listening. Today’s article in the Canberra Times includes a list of suburbs that have been moved back up the NBN’s priority list for delivery:

  • Charnwood, Dunlop, Evatt, Florey, Flynn, and Fraser are now projected to have access to the NBN by early 2018. This will be of particular relief to the Dunlop residents still stuck on the ancient ADSL1 standard.
  • Long-neglected Tuggeranong receives its first significant NBN rollout with construction underway in Oxley and Wanniassa. Services are projected to be available by July this year – a full 2 years earlier than NBN estimated would be possible in January. Several other southside suburbs have also been brought forward by 6-12 months, with delivery now estimated for the second half of 2018.
  • Unlike last time, it appears that no-one is worse off in the new plan. Construction work is continuing in Casey, Turner, O’Connor, Braddon, Dickson, Lyneham, Hackett, Watson, and Downer.

It is unfortunately true that NBN Co has a track record of over-promising and under-delivering. In its October 2015 plan, just under half of the ACT suburbs it forecast for construction by the end of 2016 actually had any work commence.

Nonetheless, the increased level of detail makes me cautiously optimistic that this time the rollout dates may broadly stay on target.

My view is that this is a great example of what can be achieved if people don’t remain quiet and demand better results. I encourage everyone to stay active and vigilant about ongoing progress and to hold the NBN to account for delivery.

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“Charnwood, Dunlop, Evatt, Florey, Flynn, and Fraser are now projected to have access to the NBN by early 2018. “

The NBN site clearly says they will start rollout in Q1 2018. Nothing to say when it will be available for utilisation as yet. This isn’t newer than the timeline stated originally when the Liberals took power and scrapped the previous deployment timeframes for the ACT.

And while it might be a massive step up for Dunlop who are relegated to ADSL1, because it’s FTTN, those who are close to the exchange will see not much improvement up to the 25Mbps limit (particularly with all the reports of network congestion that already exist).

I’ll be putting in for a quote on FTTP (although this wont assist with Network Congestion) so there is the option to go to 100Mbps or greater (when they upgrade their backbone).

Claire said :

We have TransACT except that iinet told us that they were no longer maintaining the TransACT network so we had to change. So while we still have the TransACT line attached to the house it is not in use even though we are still counted as TransACT customers.

Not true at all, very poor advice. If TPG wanted to sell Transact I am sure NBN would jump at it, as voila another 1/3 to 1/2 Canberra would be added to the NBN active map more or less overnight. After all NBN is installing the exact same technology as Transact, but on the older Telstra cable.

patrick_keogh said :

NBN please delay working on my suburb for as long as you can. Right now all I have is 60Mbit rock solid VDSL2 from Transact and I don’t want it “improved” by NBN any time soon. Go away, come back next decade.

Transact is not being shut down, so you are lucky that you will be able to choose to stay if you wish.

Only thing being shut down is Telstra, though of course NBN will be using Telstra’s old copper network and take over ownership and maintenance of the conduits and pits. Now that was a great deal for the shareholders of Telstra wasn’t it?

Barron said :

“We’ll give you NBN sooner”. Wasn’t that the war cry of Abbott, Turnbull and the others of the coalition. We here in Bonython were promised NBN by 2016 under the “old” scheme but the “new” system was silent on the matter until recently when they “expect” to start the roll out in 2019.
This definition of “sooner” is one of which I am unaware.
There are many other issues about what sort of NBN we will get, speeds,etc but nobody knows until we actually get some sort of service.

You didn’t fall for that and vote for them did you? It was always a bogus claim.

“We’ll give you NBN sooner”. Wasn’t that the war cry of Abbott, Turnbull and the others of the coalition. We here in Bonython were promised NBN by 2016 under the “old” scheme but the “new” system was silent on the matter until recently when they “expect” to start the roll out in 2019.
This definition of “sooner” is one of which I am unaware.
There are many other issues about what sort of NBN we will get, speeds,etc but nobody knows until we actually get some sort of service.

Claire said :

We have TransACT except that iinet told us that they were no longer maintaining the TransACT network so we had to change. So while we still have the TransACT line attached to the house it is not in use even though we are still counted as TransACT customers.

Not sure what you mean when you say you have TransACT but not using TransACT cable. How are you getting internet connection?

I have been recently contacting iiNet and NBNCo to find out what is happening to the TransACT network as we have iiNet (TransACT) VDSL2 fibre to the node connection and according to the NBN website our suburb, Kaleen, is earmarked to be connected to the NBN from July 2018.
It is my understanding NBN Co bought out the TransACT fibre to the node network, however nobody at iiNet or NBN could give me an answer as to what was going to happen to the fibre connection we have currently.
iiNet told us to contact NBN about the matter and NBN told us to contact iiNet.
Catch 22!

patrick_keogh8:29 pm 02 Mar 17

NBN please delay working on my suburb for as long as you can. Right now all I have is 60Mbit rock solid VDSL2 from Transact and I don’t want it “improved” by NBN any time soon. Go away, come back next decade.

We have TransACT except that iinet told us that they were no longer maintaining the TransACT network so we had to change. So while we still have the TransACT line attached to the house it is not in use even though we are still counted as TransACT customers.

gooterz said :

Meanwhile Testra are using their payout money to fund gigabit wireless.
First in the world to get a wide rollout of such a wireless speed.

I prefer my data-carrying radiation to come to me via an enclosed glass path rather than being pumped out indiscriminately into my environment.

Great news. Now if the NBNCo could actually stick to these timeframes, we’ll be doing well. Ever since the beginning they’ve been running behind schedule.

Heavs said :

Poor Higgins. Crappy parks, no NBN and people in other suburbs have pools in their backyards that I can’t use. It’s just not fair. Sick of the Government neglecting West Belconnen.

Hi Vanessa, Higgins has Transact, so don’t feel so bad…. Transact afterall uses the exact same technology that NBN is now rolling out. Only it installed it 20 years before hand and installed brand new copper, not the 40+ year old stuff that will be on the poles around Higgins and other older parts of West Belco.

gooterz said :

Have they actually changed anything? NBN announced Areas previously rhat were on the 3 year rollout inclusing kambah FSA.

FSAs are bigger than suburbs, i don’t see any more or less than was originally promised.

Meanwhile Testra are using their payout money to fund gigabit wireless.
First in the world to get a wide rollout of such a wireless speed.

As per the article a few places have come forward, though they have only come forward to what they were 6 months ago before being pushed out.

I personally would take this whole thing with a grain of salt. It is not fixed in concrete and NBN can and will change as they see fit.

The other change is there were some areas where there were no dates, just outside the 3 year plan, these now have dates. And the last change is it will tell you what technology you will be getting, which for most means FTTN or FTTC, both of which are second rate services in this day and age and hardly what NBN envisioned, which was an infrastructure network to last the next 50 odd years.

Have they actually changed anything? NBN announced Areas previously rhat were on the 3 year rollout inclusing kambah FSA.

FSAs are bigger than suburbs, i don’t see any more or less than was originally promised.

Meanwhile Testra are using their payout money to fund gigabit wireless.
First in the world to get a wide rollout of such a wireless speed.

Tuggeranong getting NBN, gee I might have to upgrade my Commodore 64 and get rid of the 12 inch CRT.

Poor Higgins. Crappy parks, no NBN and people in other suburbs have pools in their backyards that I can’t use. It’s just not fair. Sick of the Government neglecting West Belconnen.

This is hardly a win for anyone. The NBN as being rolled out now is a complete waste of time and money. Whilst some areas, like Dunlop it may be an improvement, it isn’t by much at all. That said I was able to get ADSL2 when I live in Dunlop, it just had to be through Telstra not another ISP, and that was only because Telstra are forced to resell ADSL1, but not ADSL2 (because it didn’t exist at the time of privatisation). So corporate bastardy on behalf of Telstra.

And for a great part of the ACT NBN is overbuilding iiNET/Transact which uses identical technology coupled with newer copper to the house. So a backwards step in those areas indeed.

Call me when they stop wasting money duplicating TransACT’s network.

In the meantime suburbs in Tuggeranong that do not already have TransACT miss out again.

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