media release

DATE 23/06/10

NBN CO AND TELSTRA AGREEMENT ON BROADBAND TO BENEFIT ALL TASMANIANS

Senator Helen Polley, Labor Senator for Tasmania, together with Geoff Lyons, Federal Labor candidate for Bass, today welcomed the agreement between NBN Co and Telstra that paves the way for the National Broadband Network to be built faster, cheaper and more efficiently.

 

“This agreement will result in a more efficient and faster take-up, higher revenues and less use of overhead cabling, resulting in Tasmanians gaining quicker access to all of the benefits of superfast broadband,” Senator Polley said.

 

Mr Lyons said that “the agreement with Telstra means that the rollout of the NBN can build on existing infrastructure, resulting in a reduction in civil engineering costs, which are usually a significant portion of any rollout.

 

“The NBN is an important part of ensuring Australia’s international competitiveness, and will be beneficial to all Tasmanian households and businesses as well as health and education” Mr Lyons said.

 

Tasmania ICT supports the NBN in Tasmania. 

 

Tasmanian ICT President, Darren Alexander says the rollout of the NBN in Tasmania provides “a once in a lifetime opportunity for Tasmania to be at forefront of the new digital economy in Australia and this in itself has a myriad of opportunities for business and especially SME’s which is over 96% of Tasmania”.

 

Regional centres, such as Bass, are going to not only get the direct impact from the actual construction but also going to start generating business opportunities and new sales opportunities locally, state wide, nationally and even world wide.

 

The agreement will also allow an orderly transition for Telstra’s customers onto the new wholesale only network.

 

In the future, Telstra and other service providers will have access to a single wholesale only network offering access on open and equivalent terms – enshrined in legislation to be overseen by the ACCC.

 

“Unlike today, this will deliver a level playing field on which retail competition will be unleashed to drive innovation, price competition and choice for all consumers and businesses,” Senator Polley said.