South Narooma resident Dr Philip Creagh is frustrated the nbn co’s fixed wireless tower on Wonga Road has been built for several years but not switched on – dubbing it a “white elephant”.
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He says he has been forced to get internet service over the mobile phone network, building his own reception tower at his house off Wonga Road. This service, while adequate and better than ADSL, was expensive and therefore limited the data he could access, he said.
He said nbn and fixed wireless services from just south of Moruya to Tilba were problematic. “For those of us who will get fixed wireless, we have been misled and condescended to for three years now. In August 2014, there was a meeting in the Narooma Golf Club, with nbn announcing it was going to install towers in appropriate positions and nbn would be available from about August 2015. The Wonga Road (Nangudja) tower was duly built by June 2015 and looked ready to have the electronics installed.”
Dr Creagh was dissatisfied with answers from the company and continual delays of the activation date, from the second quarter of 2016 to March 2018 – before the latest promise of December 2017.
A spokeswoman for the nbn co. said the Wonga Road tower would be turned on in December, while the new towers south of Tilba, at the Wallaga Lake Koori Village near Akolele, could be turned on next month. “Construction of the nbn network in the region is in its final stages, which means the tower on Wonga Road, Nanguda will soon be operational,” an nbn Co. spokeswoman said.
“It is expected more than 1300 people across parts of Potato Head, Bodalla, Beashel Hill, Grants Lookout, Corunna Village and Nungudga will be able to start connecting from December this year.”
She said retail services over the nbn network were currently available south of Wallaga Lake.
“Construction on the last tower located in Akoele is complete and in final testing ahead of the tower going live next month,” she said.
She also recommended looking for updates on the nbn’s rollout map available online.
“The area north of the pin will be able to access the nbn network from December. The area to the south of the pin will be serviced by the tower in Akolele, which will be operational from next month/August,” she said.