Katoomba is divided: About 90 per cent of the residents already have, or are about to get, the NBN; but the remaining 10 per cent will have to wait until next year.
One of those 10 per cent is Jon Dee, who lives in North Katoomba.
For months a new NBN box has sat tantalisingly on Minni-Ha-Ha Road near his Fifth Avenue home. But despite initial expectations of a September connection, the new service will not be available in the area until 2017.
Mr Dee is increasingly frustrated with the delay, saying his current internet is woeful.
He often has to upload large video files for his work but regularly resorts to using his mobile phone rather than the inefficient ADSL2+ internet connection.
“I’m frequently getting bills up to $500-$600 each month,” he said. ‘That’s why I really want to get the NBN because it’s a crazy situation.
“The NBN has huge economic potential for Katoomba and the Blue Mountains and we need to make sure everyone has access as soon as possible.”
Mr Dee said Optus told him that the service would be operating several weeks ago but NBN has now informed him that because they have to bore under the railway line, the switch-on date will be next year.
An NBN spokeswoman said the boring needed permission from RailCorp.
“The process of gaining permission from RailCorp to access the rail corridor is a lengthy one and has slowed that part of the build down,” she said.
But a Sydney Trains spokesman rejected that.
“The process of gaining permission from RailCorp to the works is a not a lengthy one. Permission can be given in as little as 10 days,” he said. He said information RailCorp requested to allow safe access to the rail corridor “has not been provided”.
According to the NBN spokeswoman, “we always knew it would take a while” but she insisted all was “on track for the new year”.
Optus said it relied on updates from NBN about when the service would reach various areas. “Information currently provided by NBN Co indicates that the NBN will be available along Fifth Avenue, Katoomba from February 2017.”
For Mr Dee and his fellow North Katoomba 10-per-centers, 2017 can’t come soon enough.
The NBN has huge economic potential for Katoomba and the Blue Mountains.
- Jon Dee