MOST of Capalaba will have NBN within a few weeks as the federal government uses pre-existing pay-television cables for the first time in Redland City.
The suburb is also one of the first in the state to use the technology following trials.
Bowman MP Andrew Laming said the HFC pay-television network was being used to roll-out broadband services earlier than they would have using fibre.
About 95 per cent of Capalaba’s population would have access to the NBN when the switch-on takes place.
“While not everyone signed up for pay-TV, the cable still exists across most of the city, either below or above ground,” he said. “Most of last year was spent delivering lead-ins to homes that didn’t have them.”
Mr Laming said speed using the HFC could be slightly faster than fibre to the node.
He said consumers had a year from the NBN switch-on date in their suburb to sign up for an NBN package. After that time, service providers would not offer non-NBN packages.
“If consumers do nothing, in 12 months their services will be terminated,” he said, describing it as a “forced migration”.
Mr Laming said the cheapest NBN packages should not cost more than consumers’ current plans.
Dates for the ongoing NBN roll-out would be released next month.
Capalaba MP Don Brown has expressed concern that the NBN roll-out to the Capalaba CBD and industrial estate had yet to begin.
