Whilst we wait to see what NBNCo comes back to the government with – it’s reasonable to expect that there will be a process by which if there is sufficient community interest in co-funding fibre to the home, as opposed to having a connection that is based on the existing Telstra copper Customer Access Network using Fibre To The Node (FTTN) technology.
The costs of a co-funded fibre connection are unknown, and it may be unwise to speculate the costs until NBNCo provide a product with more information. It is anticipated the more residences that express interest in having a FTTH connection, the probability of economies of scale may come into play. The upgrade of the network backhaul capacity to our area would have to be assured as well, in order for this to be worthwhile.
There are approximately 400 residences in Stages 1 & 2. It is the opinion of the committee that we are in a prime position given our demographic, size and layout, to take advantage of such an offering if put forward by NBNCo.the area is at risk of being “left behind” in the entire future NBN rollout given the significant coverage of the TransACT network (which is suspected will inevitably be sold to NBNCo).
There is a possibility that Kambah may be considered “complete” once a TransACT acquisition has been finalised. Gleneagles Estate wasn’t just ‘left behind’ but ‘left right out‘ of the TransACT rollout in 2003-2004 due to the lack of overhead power-lines. It would be incredibly disappointing to see this happen again. The area would eventually be serviced by a VDSL2 Fibre To The Node (FTTN) installation, which would be inferior and not address the reliability or quality issues that face the estate, nor offer any scalability for the future whatsoever.
Momentum – in that whilst the rollout is progressing, this will be the window of opportunity to get connected. Waiting till after the “dust settles” in the NBN rollout may leave our community with no options in this regard.
There is a chance that residences may eventually have to pay to be connected to the NBN in any form (FTTN/VDSL2). It would be worthwhile to pay for the best option available; as a community the value of having a fibre connected area provides tangible benefits in terms of housing marketability, in addition to the obvious benefits associated with a fibre based NBN (reliability, quality, scalability etc.).
The issue of quality is significant for Gleneagles Estate, as groundwater penetration from the underground creek that runs through the estate. Rainfall period impacts internet connectivity significantly as a result.