NBN Co’s Darren Rudd with Kiama Municipal Council director Chris Quigley. Picture: GREG TOTMAN
Described as Skype on steroids, new video-conferencing facilities that use the National Broadband Network are about to be installed by Kiama Municipal Council.
Earlier this year the council was awarded a $371,000 federal grant under the Digital Local Government program to use the NBN to implement "a digital solution" to engage with the community.
After an extensive tender process, the council has awarded the project tender to Evidence Technology.
The new hardware will be initially set up at five sites within the municipality including Kiama Library and Blue Haven Village.
It will enable up to 350 remote users and thousands of web viewers to log into council workshops and community engagement sessions over the internet.
"The new video-conferencing solution we are implementing is like Skype, but enables hundreds more users to engage with council, simultaneously using their home computer, laptop, iPad or smartphone," the council's general manager, Michael Forsyth, said.
The program would enable the council to "better engage" with groups that were traditionally hard to reach, such as the elderly, disabled, residents who worked outside the area and Kiama's youth, Mr Forsyth said.
The awarding of the tender came as the number of NBN activations in the first release site of Kiama Downs and Minnamurra, an area comprising about 2350 homes, reached 44 per cent.
NBN Co executive Darren Rudd said of the first five release sites, Kiama was the highest in terms of activations.
"Of the areas we have built, 44 per cent have switched on and that number is growing," he said.
"That is a function of the work the council has done, the expo they held here and the general awareness."
Mr Rudd said work connecting the rest of the Kiama township, Kiama Heights and Jamberoo would be complete in January.
He said module maps for Dapto and Wollongong, which were part of the three-year roll-out, were expected to be issued within the next two months.
"Once the maps are issued that triggers a 12-month process, which includes detailed design, remediation with Telstra, construction, testing and then activation."
Kiama Mayor Sandra McCarthy said she was delighted Kiama was leading the way with take-up of the NBN.