Although some on the outskirts of Dorrigo have it already as a fixed wireless service, others in the central township are still waiting.

The Dorrigo Chamber of Commerce has been fighting hard to get the best outcome for Dorrigo.  In particular, the Chamber has argued that a lightning-fast, lightning-free solution would be best because of the electrical storms that Dorrigo experiences, and the subsequent damage that people are familiar with through copper phone lines.

The new NBN connection to premises will provide both an internet connection as well as a phone connection.

Fibre-optic cables are made of glass, not copper, so fibre-optic cables do not conduct electricity.  A fibre-optic connection to your premises should eliminate lightning damage through the internet/phone line.

The proposal for Dorrigo township is to have a technology called Fibre To The Curb, or FTTC, which brings a fibre-optic cable close to your premises (the ‘curb’), but uses the existing copper phone line to make the last connection between the ‘curb’ and your premises.

The Chamber has obtained information from NBN and the advice has been that these short runs of existing buried copper are so short that lightning damage should be substantially minimised compared to the existing large buried copper network.

Of all the technologies available through the NBN, fibre-optic has the greatest capacity to deliver the largest and fastest amount of internet data. 

Those who wish to have a fibre-optic connection directly to their premises, for both increased speed/data capacity as well as elimination of lightning damage, may be able to take advantage of a “Technology Choice Program” – see http://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/technology-choice-program.html