Service Way Out Of Order

Newcastle Herald

Saturday May 24, 2008

By ALISON BRANLEY

HOMES in a new residential area near the centre of Newcastle do not have access to basic broadband internet, because of a lack of telecommunications infrastructure.

Some of the 307 town houses in Linwood Village, Maryville, a housing estate near Throsby Creek, have had to wait months, even years, for access to landline-based ADSL.

They are among the 5 per cent of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens properties that Telstra has said still do not have access to broadband internet.

Telstra said the Maryville telephone exchange was at capacity for broadband connections and work on a new kerbside exchange for up to 400 connections was due to begin in August.

Linwood Village was finished in 2006 but work began on the development in 2001.

Broadband has been available in Newcastle since 2003.

Telstra Countrywide Hunter manager Chris Cusack said Linwood residents and the other 5 per cent of homes without access could subscribe to wireless broadband.

"Some customers in a small number of pockets of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens may not be able to access ADSL broadband due to a number of technical limitations such as distance to the local exchange, or commercial viability," he said.

Linwood resident Dave Clark, 23, said he was angry when he learned he could not obtain broadband after he moved in this year.

"It's just annoying when you're so close to the city and you're unable to get access," Mr Clark said.

He said the reason he signed up for a phone line was for broadband and he was initially told it was available.

"We paid a connection fee and first month's bill on the idea we could get internet only to be told by another provider Telstra had run out of ports," Mr Clark said.

Mr Clark, who uses emails for work, social networking, banking and shopping, said dial-up internet was too slow and wireless internet too expensive.

"Why are they talking about getting broadband access to all the remote areas of Australia when even in a city district you can't get a broadband landline?" he said.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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