Shift to maintenance now NBN rollout is complete

NBN Co has shifted focus to maintenance of the network now the rollout in Tasmania has been officially completed.

Tasmania was the first to start the NBN rollout and is now the first state fully covered by the network.

As of last week, there were 279,259 premises ready to connect in Tasmania, with 1043 not yet able to connect.

So far, 185,714 premises have connected. In Zeehan, Rosebery and Queenstown, there is a migration window until midnext year to give time for residents and phone/internet companies to switch to the NBN network.

NBN Tasmanian manager Russell Kelly said the company’s focus was moving to helping people “get the best out of the new network at home and in business”.

“All urban areas other than Zeehan, Rosebery and Queenstown have already migrated to the network — however residents and businesses can still connect if they wish to by approaching a retailer of their choice and requesting a connection,” he said.

Mr Kelly said the NBN workforce had now “contracted to the size required to connect new orders and provide assurance and maintenance on the network”.

Federal Labor MP Carol Brown said Tasmania had more fibre to the premises than any other state.

“Tasmania being the first state to completion debunks the Coalition claim that copper is cheaper and faster,” she said.

Colebrook resident Natalie Granville said there was no wired internet service in the area and satellite was the only option. “We only use it for basic internet browsing — we can’t do any type of streaming like Youtube or Netflix,” she said.

The university distance student said she regularly travelled to her parents’ house 60km away in Copping to access their wired NBN.

The national NBN rollout is due for completion in 2020.