Redlands ignored in NBN rollout

Nowhere in Redland city, including its six main islands, will get the NBN in the next three years, according to NBN Co maps showing the network rollout.

Under the National Broadband-Network rollout plan, 93 per cent of the nation will get high-speed fibre broadband, 4 per cent will get fixed wireless and 3 per cent next-generation satellite services. Residents have been told to prepare for fixed wireless services, run from a tower, rather than the high-speed and more efficient fibre-optic cable service to their homes.

Queensland Senator Claire Moore made the comment on Thursday and said Redlands was "looking more at wireless than the NBN" mainly because of the city's existing infrastructure.

Her comments were backed up by digital expert Dave Abrahams, who is an independent NBN advocate for the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

While in Redlands last week, Mr Abrahams spoke to Mayor Melva Hobson on the rollout and addressed Coochiemudlo Island Progress Association, telling members to organise themselves and start lobbying the federal government for fibre-optic cable.

He said there would be "an announcement in the next week about fixed-wireless which would be interesting to Redlands" but it was unlikely any parts of the east coast would be included in the three per cent of the population to get the inferior satellite services.

Senator Moore's claims about fixed-wireless services contradicted a press release she released last Tuesday saying "construction of the fibre network in Redlands would begin progressively between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2015".

Her press release about the rollout of the fibre-optic network was released the same day Cr Hobson told a forum on Macleay Island that Redlands was in line to get the broadband network in the next three years.

"We are not sure just which is what and where but we have the letter (from NBN chief executive Mike Quigley) to say we're in and that we will know next week (April10) just which of the areas (will get NBN)," the mayor told the crowd.

Mayoral candidate Karen Williams said she had not seen the letter but said according to NBN Co's maps, the city would not get any network rollout in the next three years.

She blamed the delay in the NBN rollout in Redland City on the council's "inactivity in advancing the city's interests" and lobbying the federal government.

"Redlands should not have to put up with inferior fixed-wireless services especially when all bay islands desperately need such services," Cr Williams said.

"Some parts of the islands will fare even worse and will be part of the three per cent of the entire country that has to put up with satellite services, which are notorious for not working in bad weather," she said.

Federal MP for Bowman Andrew Laming blamed the lack of rollout of broadband services in Redlands on the federal government being biased towards Labor-held federal seats.

He called on the mayor to clarify her comments and to release the NBN Co letter promising work would start within three years.