Live or work in the Newcastle area? See which suburbs were named today as locations where work will begin on connecting the NBN over the next few years.
Work to make Newcastle's exchange NBN-ready has been completed, paving the way for the rollout of the fibre optic network in the region.
The initial NBN rollout in the area will begin later this year to connect 9,700 homes in Newcastle, Hamilton and surrounding suburbs.
By mid-2015, construction of the NBN will have been "commenced or be complete" to 85,400 premises in:
- Charlestown
- Hamilton
- Newcastle
- Mayfield
- New Lambton
- Tarro
Ultimately, 135,000 premises will be connected to the NBN via the Newcastle exchange.
Work to connect more than 276,000 premises in NSW to the NBN fibre optic network will be commenced or completed by the end of this year, according to a Federal Government spokesperson.
Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, had this to say via a statement: “The ability to send and receive big files almost instantly means businesses that previously had to base themselves in capital cities can set up anywhere, which means opportunities and jobs for the people in Newcastle and the surrounding areas."