Push for action on network

The telecoms industry wants Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to be quick and decisive as he considers what to do with the national broadband network.

With no more information likely to emerge about the project until around Christmas – when a 60-day review is completed – there were questions about jobs and investment at the annual CommsDay industry conference in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Mr Turnbull supplied a five-minute video, saying existing NBN rollout work would continue. He also said he would cut industry regulation.

There were potentially thousands of jobs at risk in the sector if the government was too slow deciding how to proceed with the rest of the NBN rollout, managing director of Alcatel-Lucent in Australia, Sean O’Halloran said. He said about 20,000 people were involved.

Meanwhile, iiNet’s chief technology officer John Lindsay said he supported a quick rollout, particularly for people who don’t have reliable broadband.