NBN installation and maintenance contracts expected to open job opps

Around two thousand new jobs are expected to be created across mainland Australia in network maintenance and installation at the peak of the rollout of the National Broadband Network. Contracts for this work for the next two years were announced today by NBN Co.

The contracts with Silcar and Service Stream provide for technicians to install and activate NBN equipment in homes and businesses as the high-speed broadband network is rolled out in cities, towns and suburbs across the country. At the peak of construction, around 2016, an estimated 6000 premises are expected to be connected to the NBN every working day.

The contracts also provide for the successful contractors to carry out ongoing maintenance, repair and augmentation of the fibre optic network.

NBN Co has contracted with Service Stream to carry out the work in Victoria, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia. The contracts have an estimated value of up to $64 million over the next two years.

NBN Co has contracted with Silcar to carry out the work in Queensland, NSW and the ACT. The contracts have an estimated value of up to $78 million.

The contracts are for an initial two years with the option of two further one-year extensions.

In Tasmania, Visionstream Australia was awarded the installation and maintenance work in March as part of a wider contract that aims to see the completion of the broadband rollout in the state over the next three years.

NBN Co Head of Operations, Steve Christian said: "These contracts are good news for families and good news for the employment market.

"We already have contracts in place for the physical construction of the fibre optic network. Now we also have contracts for the maintenance of the network and the installation and activation of NBN boxes in homes and businesses across the country.

"They also boost potential job prospects for technicians and installers, not just with the major contractors. We expect those companies will generate considerable opportunities for regional subcontractors too as high-speed broadband becomes available in each local community," Mr Christian said.

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Rhonda Griffin

Phone: 02 9927 4015
Mobile: 0428 134 401

Notes to Editors

• The contracts announced today for Service Stream and Silcar are for Field Service Delivery (FSD) and Network Augmentation and Restoration Activities (NARA).

• FSD includes activation and assurance activities:
  • Activation: For premises with an existing fibre connection from the street to the end-user premises, the activation includes cabling a connection from the premises connection device outside the premises to the inside of the premises and installing the Network Terminating Device (NTD). For premises without an existing fibre connection the activation also includes completing the connection from the street to the outside of the premises; and
  • Assurance: provides service or fault repair to an end user with activated services.

• NARA includes:
  • Network restoration - typically in the case of accidental damage to the fibre, or in response to natural disasters; and
  • Network augmentation - is generally small in-fill projects such as sub-divisions

• NBN Co also has in place construction contracts for every state and territory.
  • In June 2011, Silcar was announced as the construction contractor in Qld, NSW and the ACT (up to $380M).
  • In September 2011, contracts were awarded to Transfield Services for construction in Victoria (up to $133M) and to Syntheo for WA (up to $174M).
  • In November 2011, NBN Co announced a contract with Syntheo for construction in SA and the NT (up to $141M).
  • Contract terms were for two years with an option to extend for a further two years.
  • In March 2012, NBN Co granted Visionstream Australia a four-year detailed design, construction and maintenance contract (up to $300M) for Tasmania, with an option for renewal over each of the following two years.

• Today's announcement follows the news NBN Co plans to streamline the fibre rollout by installing the external Premises Connection Device - a weatherproof box that houses the fibre-optic cable outside the premises after it has been run from the street - as the distribution and local segments of the rollout are underway in each area.

Downloads