'Gadget Guy' Peter Blasina welcomes NSW NBN rollout
NBN champion and “Gadget Guy” Peter Blasina has today welcomed the release of NBN Co’s first national 12-month fibre rollout schedule for the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The schedule includes sites around NSW including some commuter suburbs in Sydney’s west. It lists the locations around the country - including Sydney suburbs Richmond and Riverstone to name just two - where the fibre network rollout is scheduled to begin construction before September 2012.
“This the day the NBN really starts for Australians. The trials are over and the rollout now begins,” Mr Blasina said.
More than half million premises across 56 Australian towns and suburbs are set to gain access to NBN fibre services under NBN Co’s first one-year construction schedule.
Mr Blasina said many Australians did not fathom how transformative the delivery of reliable high-speed broadband would be, particularly in the area of health where city-based specialists would be able to diagnose and deliver health care via video to patients no matter where they were.
“So often we look at technology like the NBN through the prism of consumer goods,” he said. “I’m the Gadget Guy and I’m the first person to embrace new consumer technology. It’s not just my job, it’s my passion.
“But when you see technology is going to be applied to real life situations – particularly in saving lives through telemedicine - you start to realise, this isn’t about downloading TV programs more quickly.
“This isn’t about internet-enabled TVs and digital sound systems and faster access to popular culture.
“This is about investing in the technologies which will profoundly shape our lives in the 21st century. It’s about investing in the technologies which will revolutionise how we learn, care, compete and commit to each other.
“It’s about investing in the technologies which will boost our national competiveness, improve health and education, and change the way we explore the universe.
“In reality the NBN is really about investing in the future of Australia, and as such the release of this schedule marks an incredibly important day.
Media inquiries – Peter Blasina (02) 9356 7406
