Underwater drilling starts to take national broadband network to Coochie, Stradbroke, Bay Islands

A drill site was set up near the Victoria Point ferry terminal last week, with equipment also put on the edge of the Coochiemudlo golf course.

Andrew Desmarchelier, senior project manager with Visionstream - NBN's primary delivery partner - said construction for the Victoria Point to Coochiemudlo part of the project was set to be finished in late March.

"(The) drill and supporting equipment will deliver a new NBN conduit almost 1000 metres across to the island at a depth of over 30 metres below sea level," he said.

Up to three kilometres of drilling is set to be completed in the coming months, with Russell, Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra islands also to be connected via fibre links. Drilling will take place in daylight hours.

Physical works for fibre links for North Stradbroke had already been completed, with other network builds nearly finished.

A NBN spokesperson said more than 150 kilometres of cable would be laid and it was planned that premises on the SMBIs would be ready to connect to the network from between April and June 2020.

Both fibre to the node and fibre to the curb technology will be used on the islands.

Mr Desmarchelier said Visionstream and NBN had engaged with the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, who had a team of spotters to help to manage culturally sensitive sites.

Information sessions will be held for island residents to learn what to expect from the NBN network, how to connect, how to protect themselves from scams and how their landline phone and medical alarm would be affected.