GERRINGONG residents and businesses will rejoice after the announcement that the town will be connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN) in 2016.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After years of lobbying by Kiama Council, NBN Co announced on Monday that Gerringong was back on the roll-out map.
Connection to the NBN will be via a "multi-technological mix" which includes fibre to the node and fibre to the building for apartment blocks.
A planned construction rollout released on Monday by NBN Co shows which Illawarra suburbs will see work on the National Broadband Network by June 2016 - and which will have to wait.
The construction plan offered a "high level view" of construction during the next 18 months, an NBN Co spokesman said.
The construction plans include 68,600 premises in the Illawarra, in the suburbs of Albion Park, Corrimal, Gerringong, Kiama, Port Kembla, Shellharbour and Wollongong.
This includes 1700 premises in Gerringong and 700 in Kiama.
Corrimal and Wollongong are the only areas in the 18-month plan where homes will get fibre to the premises (FTTP), the Labor version of the NBN.
Other areas in the Illawarra will receive a "multi-technological mix" which includes fibre to the node and fibre to the building for apartment blocks.
Construction work in the Shoalhaven will start for 35,400 homes in the next few months, including in Bomaderry, Nowra, Moruya, Merimbula and St George's Basin.
In the Shoalhaven, only parts of the Nowra-Bomaderry area are listed to receive FTTP as part of the delivery of the NBN.
NBN Co's Darren Rudd said the aim was to get the NBN across Australia by the end of the decade.
"We're committed to bringing fast broadband to all Australians as quickly as possible," Mr Rudd said. "The new multi-technology approach enables us to do just that.
"Access to fast broadband can provide a range of benefits for homes and businesses such as improved opportunities to work from home, better access to online education tools and more options for on-demand entertainment."
There are no specific dates for when work will begin in these areas but the spokesman said the plan would be updated every three months with a more detailed timeline.
The planned construction for the next 18 months will not appear on the rollout map on the NBN website.
This means residents in suburbs where construction has not already begun and don't appear on the 18-month plan will have to wait until July 2016 at least before work begins. In the Illawarra, this includes Fairy Meadow, Mt Ousley, Thirroul, Austinmer, areas of Woonona in the north and Unanderra, Farmborough Heights, Warilla and Barrack Point in the south.
"Naturally some people will be disappointed that they are not included in today's plan," Mr Rudd said. "But ultimately no-one misses out as the NBN will be made available to every Australian family and business by 2020."
Federal Member for Gilmore Ann Sudmalis said more than 43,000 local homes and businesses will have an NBN construction either active or in construction before June 2016.
"Today's announcement confirms that construction on fibre (FTTN) connections for 38,410 local homes, and construction on fixed wireless networks for 4,900 homes, will be under way within the next 18 months," Mrs Sudmalis said.
"It also means that by June 2016, Gilmore will have one of the highest NBN connection rates in in all of rural and regional NSW."
