Work on the National Broadband Network’s fixed wireless services are all but complete, but there will still be a wait for fixed line services to hit Griffith and surrounding areas.
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The NBN’s fixed wireless community affairs advisor, Tony Gibbs, said it could be up to 18 months before work on the fixed line service even begins.
“We're providing a broadband update to all of Australia but particularly in the MIA at the moment we've been working with a number of technologies that we use as part of the roll-out,” he said.
“There's a fixed line component and that was announced for Griffith in April but that's still some time away before it will hit the streets.
“Work will commence between now and the start of September next year, that doesn't mean services will be live, just that work has commenced.”
He also talked about why they are set up at Griffith Central, as well as how to connect to the fixed wireless service.
“We're here to provide information to people and then they can go away and talk to the service provider about getting connected,” he said.
“It's not automatic, you have to order the service and then get connected, and our job is to raise that awareness so that people can reap the rewards of having it.
“The benefits around this are people will get a much more reliable, consistent, faster service.
“There's a lot of industries here so there will be a lot of benefit to the community as a whole.”
At the moment, Yenda, Yoogali, Bilbul, Hanwood, Tharbogang and Beelbangera all have the fixed wireless service available to them, with Lake Wyangan to go online in the next couple of days.
Kelly Stevens, the manager of state corporate affairs in NSW/ACT for NBN, discussed the benefits that faster Internet will provide, as well as noting how to check if the fixed wireless service is available to you.
“One of the things that's really important about fast broadband through NBN is that it really bridges that digital divide,” she said.
“People shouldn't have to live in Sydney or Melbourne to conduct business properly by the Internet, so people can choose to live where they want and be in the same position to compete nationally and globally.
“If you go to our website you click on the link that says ‘check your address,’ type your's in and see if there’s anything happening for that residence and also if fixed wireless in available there.”
The team from NBN will be at Griffith Central from 9am to 5pm on Friday 29 May to answer questions.
