Mr Seal, who is Brisbane-based, manages the areas of Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia. After presenting an overview of the NBN rollout, highlighting the technologies being used for the extensive and technical project, he opened the floor and allowed the audience to ask questions they may have on the plan.

NBN: background

This vast project was initiated in 2009, and will involve installation into 13 million premises in Australia, predominately by fibre (93.5 per cent), but also using fixed-wireless (3.5 per cent) and satellite (3 per cent).

The company’s expectation is that by 2015 their satellite network will be up, their wireless network will be complete and their transit network will be built.

Progress to date

So far the company has established eight trial sites: three in Tasmania (Smithton, Midway Point and Scottsdale), and another five sites on the mainland (Townsville, Armidale, Kiama Downs, Brunswick and Willunga).

These sites were to give NBN Co an indication of what the fibre network in general will be like, and how it will perform. All sites were picked to test a variety of factors: different customer mixes, different terrain, and different technologies. For example, Mr Seal said, there are vast differences between running fibre in a small town like Willunga in South Australia and running fibre down busy Sydney Road in Brunswick, Melbourne.

These trial sites also gave the company a chance to look at construction techniques, as a mix of aerial and underground techniques were trialled. Telstra ducts were trialled in the case of Brunswick, and were run all the way through to the existing underground network that the company built themselves in Willunga. This gave NBN Co a chance to look at the work skills required to get the job done.

These trials are now finished and Mr Seal says the learning from them has been collated.

The role of trenchless

During the question and answer session, ASTT Chairman Trevor Gosatti asked Mr Seal about the planned role for No-Dig techniques in the NBN rollout.

Mr Seal said that NBN Co recognises building this new network has a significant impact on communities, and the company is working with its contractors to develop a low impact scheme, part of which involves using Trenchless Technology.

For example, directional drilling is one of the many techniques tested at the trial sites around the country. Willunga, for example, was all underground, with a number of techniques used.

There is a general awareness that as they are entering a few million properties, the impact needs to be minimised as much as possible, and NBN Co is committed to avoiding digging where possible.

Next stages of the project

Currently there are around 20 sites in various stages in Australia, from planning through to initial site work.

By June 2011, the company had connected around 18,000 homes. By June 2012 they anticipate new sites will reach 75,000 for satellite customers and 14,000 wireless customers. Satellite will cover the greatest part of Australia’s landmass, but the sparsest in terms of population. NBN Co are currently out to tender to buy two high capacity satellites that they intend to launch in 2015 to their core NBN network.

The company sees 2011–12 as a building stage, in terms of finalising planning procedures and resources needed, as well as getting contractors sorted and in place to “crank the machine up and get it running,” Mr Seal said.

From 2013–15 the company will see a continuous construction program in most larger centres in Australia, and in eight to nine years from now they will have the broadband network connected in all states and territories — with the exception of Antarctica. Mr Seal said while the company would have liked to have a satellite connection for the Antarctica area, the angle of the horizon is such that the satellites used can not reach the location.

Throughout 2011 and 2012 the company will establish a series of ‘kick-off’ heads throughout Australia. Then for the next six or seven years there will be an extensive rollout of fibre to all the communities of Australia. Mr Seal said there are a few things designed to make all this happen. One is an arrangement with Telstra that will mean 75–80 per cent of cable conduit will be supplied from them, with upwards of 2.5 million Telstra lead-ins being utilised, as well as thousands of Telstra’s telephone exchangers, where NBN Co will base all their active network gear. It also includes the migration of the Telstra customers off their copper network and onto the NBN Co fibre network.

This means that 20–25 per cent of their network will be held by other entities, including access to poles and underground from power utilities, local government groups, water utilities, road utilities, and councils who own their own pipe and pit infrastructure in place.