Wamboin, Bywong and Sutton residents can look forward to high-speed and reliable fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) internet, following today’s announcement of the NSW Government’s $9.5 million agreement with Opticomm.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the Opticomm deal delivers on the government’s long-standing commitment to these communities to future-proof and improve connectivity in the region.
“Over the past three years, we have worked hard to find a solution that can overcome the region’s challenging topography that includes hills and rocky terrain to deliver a service that is affordable, fast and reliable for the community,” Mr Toole said.
He said it would help bridge the digital divide and “fix connectivity, bringing better internet service to communities previously on a satellite connection”.
Opticomm will use innovative next generation technology to deliver a fibre network to more than 1300 premises, which is affordable to install and well suited for rural communities.
NSW Member for Monaro Nichole Overall said it was great to see the government stepping up to help locals in Wamboin, Bywong and Sutton access more reliable internet services.
“Installation of a new fibre network is a great outcome for these communities.
“Residents, families and small businesses in the region can now enjoy a fast and reliable connection to work, study, and manage their business from home, or just stream the latest movie,” Mrs Overall said.
Opticomm Chief of Infrastructure Networks & Technology Geoff Aldridge said the company had a long-standing history of building, owning and operating residential fibre networks throughout Australia.
“We’re pleased to be partnering with the NSW Government to deploy a fibre to the premise network capable of super-fast speeds, that will support these communities with more than enough bandwidth now and into the future,” Mr Aldridge said.
Mr Toole said delivering improved choice and better internet for the communities of Wamboin, Bywong and Sutton was just the beginning with more small communities across regional and rural NSW set to benefit from the Government’s Gig State initiative.
“The Gig State project is focused on delivering improved internet service to as many small communities as possible through new infrastructure and innovative technology to ensure they get the service they deserve,” Mr Toole said.
The Wamboin, Bywong and Sutton fibre network is expected to be completed in late 2023 and part of the $100 million Gig State project.
Gig State is part of the Regional Digital Connectivity program funded by the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund, dedicated to transformational infrastructure investment across regional NSW.
For more information on the Regional Digital Connectivity program, visit nsw.gov.au/connectregionalnsw
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