Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Brunswick became the country’s first metropolitan area to be connected to the National Broadband Network yesterday, with the trial phase due to run until September.
Julia Gillard switched flicked the switch at a ceremony at the Brunswick Town Hall, making it the third mainland test site to receive the fibre optic-enabled NBN.
The fibre network in Brunswick covers approximately 2,689 premises, and residents in over half of these premises consented to having a connection to make their premises “NBN ready”.
“The launch of the NBN in Brunswick and new construction activity we’ve announced are the latest steps towards delivery of a crucial piece of nation-building infrastructure,” NBN co-chairman Harrison Young said.
The trial phase is due to run until late September, after which residents and businesses in the Brunswick fibre coverage area will be able to order broadband services from retail service providers.
Over 700 homes and businesses across Australia are now connected to the NBN as part of the trials, including 114 on the mainland. The network trial is up and running in Kiama on the NSW South Coast, in Armidale in the Central West of NSW and in the Tasmanian communities of Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point.
“The National Broadband Network has the potential to deliver genuine competition in telecommunications and benefit Australian homes, businesses, schools and hospitals for decades to come,” Young added.
