Coalition doesn't faze iiNet
Although the true scope of the coalition's internet policy will not be known until next year, the broader concept coming from the Abbott Government will not hurt iiNet, its managing director Michael Malone says.
Speaking to _WestBusiness _on the coalition's impending internet plan yesterday, Mr Malone said there were elements that were known and the company could work with.
However he said "the very high-level question" was the Abbott Government's decision to evaluate what was in the best interests of the country over the next 100 days.
"So we get to wait until January," Mr Malone said. "We presume the incoming minister will be Malcolm Turnbull and what Mr Turnbull is saying is you choose the best technology depending upon the situation."
The coalition has outlined a plan to build a $29.5 billion NBN system using fibre to nodes on street corners and then relying on copper between nodes and homes. Labor's NBN used fibre direct to the home.
"If you're living on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, it doesn't make sense to deliver fibre to the home to those locations," Mr Malone said.
"And if you're sitting in high-density Chatswood in Sydney, then fibre to the basement is more suitable. The previous government has said fibre to the home is the only way."
Mr Malone said one of the known factors of the coalition plan was the "outside in" policy - going to regions and outer suburbs first.
"That's very good for iiNet," he said. "So it's dealing with the places that don't have high-speed broadband today and then later on dealing with the places that have already got it."
According to Mr Malone, the NBN contracts locked over the next six to 12 months would continue. Iinet currently has slightly more than 20,000 NBN customers.
"So it's going will be fibre to the home for the next year, hence the NBN's target of 750,000 homes," Mr Malone said. "But in January we'll know the long-term plan."
Tony Abbott's victory has created a buzz among technology analysts, with CIMB's Ian Martin predicting former Telstra chief executive Ziggy Switkowski would lead a new, smaller NBN Co board.
"We expect small incremental contracts to be offered by a restructured NBN Co, possibly later this year, with initial fibre to the node construction commencing in 2014," Mr Martin said.
