Nearly 2500 homes in East Maitland will soon have access to the National Broadband Network.
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Paterson MP Bob Baldwin said preparation work had begun to give NBN access to 2400 premises in East Maitland – the first of central Maitland’s communities to do so.
He said it was an important milestone for the area, with greater certainty for homes and businesses as they prepared for super fast broadband services.
“East Maitland will soon be able to access the same internet speeds and bandwidth that others currently enjoy,” he said.
“I have campaigned for the Paterson electorate not to be overlooked when it came to faster broadband speeds and I am pleased to see these results.”
Work will be visible in streets as pre-construction activity begins in the coming weeks.
This will include the clearing of Telstra’s pits and ducts before the fibre-to-the-premises network is built.
The NBN will update its online maps in coming months to show residents when physical construction of the network begins and when the network will be ready for service.
Since the election, the NBN has increased the reach of its fibre network by 90 per cent, and now passes about 499,000 premises nationwide.
Total connections to the NBN’s various networks, including fixed wireless network and interim satellite service, have more than doubled since the election.
There are about 218,000 premises receiving NBN services.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the release of new sites for build preparation was delivering on the government’s promise to get the rollout back on track.
“When we came into government, one of our chief priorities has been to get this rollout done sooner, cheaper for taxpayers and more affordably for consumers,” he said.