Construction of NBN’s first Widgee tower underway
20th January, 2015
Construction has started on the first of three NBN fixed wireless towers at Widgee that will deliver fast, affordable broadband to the region, Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said today.“The construction of the Widgee South tower will deliver a quantum leap in the speed of broadband to parts of Widgee,” Mr Truss said.
“The difficult terrain requires the installation of an additional two towers in the Widgee region to service the area and planning for these is progressing.
“Once completed and operational, the tower will provide internet speeds of around 25mbps download and 5mbps upload, comparable to high end ADSL2+ services in metropolitan areas.
“The fixed wireless network will utilise advanced 4G technology, which is fast enough to allow local users to stream multiple high definition videos simultaneously,” Mr Truss said.
“I have long campaigned for the extension of mobile phone coverage to Widgee and I am continuing to push for these services to be improved across the region, including the co-location of mobile network communications on NBN towers.”
“Glastonbury will also receive fixed wireless broadband. A development application is due to be lodged in March and construction is not expected to commence before August subject to planning and other approvals. I will continue to keep local communities informed about the rollout of infrastructure that will be used to deliver the NBN,” Mr Truss said.
“The Coalition’s NBN is prioritising broadband rollout to those areas that have the poorest coverage. The Coalition Government is investing an extra $1.2 billion in rural Australia so that we can ensure the satellite and fixed wireless networks can cope with demand.
“By contrast, Labor had six years in office and delivered almost nothing for Wide Bay. They over-promised and under-delivered on every aspect of their NBN plan, breaching connection targets, blowing out costs, and leaving people in the dark all along the way.
"The Coalition Government’s improvements to the NBN rollout will save $32 billion on Labor's plan, deliver upgrades up to four years sooner, and avoid internet retail bills increasing by up to 80 per cent,” Mr Truss said.
“Our commitment demonstrates that the Government is serious about putting the rollout back on track to provide better, faster and cheaper broadband for regional Australians.”
The NBN will update residents when construction is completed and services become available. It is expected that residents in parts of Widgee will be able to connect to retail broadband and phone services through the National Broadband Network (NBN) within 12 months.
For more information on the NBN rollout visit www.nbnco.com.au/rollout or contact the NBN via phone on 1800 OUR NBN (1800 687 626).
