CONSTRUCTION of new high-speed internet infrastructure in Warrnambool will start within six months under a new, accelerated roll-out plan nationally.
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Allansford and Dennington residents will join people in Warrnambool to gain the fixed line National Broadband Network access after construction starts in March 2016, benefitting nearly 14,000 homes.
The company building the NBN released the three-year plan, which gives details on when people can join the network and what technology will be used.
More than 42,000 premises across the Wannon electorate will gain access – most via fixed line – within the three years.
Construction in Port Fairy and Portland is scheduled to start in 2016, with works at Heywood, Hamilton, Coleraine and Cobden to begin early in 2017.
Construction at Camperdown, Mortlake and Terang is due by June 2017, with Koroit to follow.
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said fixed wireless access was nearing completion and the new plan detailed the next steps on a national scale.
“The release of the plan is a huge step forward for the NBN as the company works to speed up the roll-out and make the build as cost-efficient as possible,” Mr Tehan said.
“The Coalition Government understands that internet access is important for our community and will transform education, healthcare and other critical online services.
“The Coalition Government recognises that consumers want fast broadband as soon as possible.”
The federal government has pledged to roll out the entire network by 2020, with 9.5 million premises in total connected by September 2018.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said most households would have access to the same high download speeds of at least 50 megabits a second regardless of which technology was used.
“The previous government, their model, was going to see the NBN take six to eight years longer at a cost of $20 to $30 billion more,” he said. “We've got a different approach – people will get it sooner.”
