Warren Truss, Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Member for Wide Bay, announced the commencement of construction on the towers at Widgee.
He said that this will be a huge leap in the speed of services that will be made available to residents of Widgee. Upon completion and beginning of operations, internet speeds of approximately 25Mbps download, and 5 Mbps upload will be provided by the tower – these speeds comparable to high-end ADSL2+ services in the city.
Local users will be able to stream high-definition videos simultaneously through the advanced 4G technology that will be utilised by the NBN fixed wireless network.
Glastonbury will likewise receive fixed wireless broadband, but construction is not set to start until August this year.
Areas with the poorest coverage are in the top priority of the Coalition’s NBN broadband rollouts. An additional $1.2 billion in investment has been made by the Coalition government in rural Australia in order to ensure the delivery of satellite and fixed wireless networks that will be able to keep up with the demand.
Mr. Truss also said that this is in complete contrast with Labor’s six years in office where Wide Bay received almost nothing.
“The Government’s changes 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.
He said it goes to show that the government is serious in its commitment to get the rollout back on track, and its goal to deliver better, cheaper, and faster broadband for regional Australians.
Widgee residents are expected to gain access to the NBN and its services within 12 months.