NBN Co plan to build wireless tower for Mylor

NBN Co’s plans to build a wireless tower to service just under 450 premises on the outskirts of Mylor have been welcomed by the Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie.

The households were originally promised wireless technology under the NBN roll-out but were assigned NBN Sky Muster satellite earlier this year after negotiations with a local landholder to build a tower fell through.

Rebekha then approached the Minister for Communication, Paul Fletcher, and senior NBN officials and successfully advocated for NBN Co to explore other sites.

“I thought it was completely unacceptable that a technology designed for remote Australia was being imposed on a locality only 20km as the crow flies from the CBD of Adelaide just because NBN Co left planning negotiations to the last minute,” Rebekha said.

“The news about the lodgement of a development application with the Adelaide Hills Council for a wireless tower site on SA Water land is a really positive outcome for nearly 450 households on the outskirts of Mylor who have been in NBN limbo for the past couple of years.

“I would like to thank NBN Co for going the extra mile in searching for an alternative site.

“Give them their dues, NBN has reached out to landholders at multiple sites around Mylor in the past couple of months, without success, before finding this new potential site.

“NBN Co has also offered households the option of signing up to the Sky Muster satellite service in the interim and then switching over to wireless at no additional cost.

“I am advised Mylor is one of only a few sites in Australia offered that option during the roll-out phase. Given the demands for home internet during the COVID-19 crisis, this offer is welcome.

“With regards to the proposed tower development, the planning process needs to take its course and I understand the process will involve community consultation, as it should.

“I will be frank with the wider Mylor community. I believe it is extremely unlikely NBN Co will look at any further sites if this DA is unsuccessful.

"It’s now it’s up to the community to respond to NBN’s proposal for wireless NBN."

NBN Co modelling shows the proposed 45M tower could reach 445 of the 495 premises originally promised wireless NBN.

Advances in antenna technology might also provide opportunities for some premises currently on NBN satellite in the Biggs Flat and Echunga area to access wireless NBN.

“It remains a concern of mine that Mayo has a significantly higher percentage of households allocated NBN satellite, standing at five per cent compared to the national average of three percent,” Rebekha said.

“If most of the 495 premises around Mylor end up going on satellite, there will be nearly 2,900 premises assigned satellite in the Hills within 25km of Adelaide’s GPO.

“In comparison, Hobart has 1,041 premises assigned satellite within 25km of their GPO and Sydney has just 139.

“More needs to be done to address NBN connectivity issues in different localities, but the tower development application at Mylor is a good start.”

Media inquiries Genevieve Cooper 0421 201 112