Armidale’s Broadband Smart Home now under construction

(L to R): Leah Cook-Armidale Dumaresq Council, Nathan Axelsson-RDANI, Paddy Rice-ISU Solutions, Nathan Heberley-TAFE, Armidale Mayor Peter Ducat, Sam Meredith-TAFE, Alun Davies-NBN Advocate, Peter Sniekers-NSW Trade & Investment, Stephen Winn-UNE

A project to build a regional NBN Experience Centre in Armidale is now underway after 18 months of behind-the-scenes work by government, education and private industry partners. Led by Regional Development Australia Northern Inland, the Broadband Smart Home, located in Queen Elizabeth Drive will demonstrate many of the real-world applications of the NBN, including home automation, remote health monitoring, video-conferencing, rehabilitation, education, remote business, sensor monitoring and environmental sustainability.

In the coming months, the facility will be open to members of the public to see and learn about the NBN, including workshops and live-demonstrations. RDANI Executive Officer, Nathan Axelsson, said the house will provide hands-on, functioning displays of NBN relevant installations in a home suitable for a typical family of four. “The NBN is a game-changer for regional Australia and Armidale has first-mover advantage over the rest of the country to demonstrate how the NBN will improve the way we live, work and play.”

“The Broadband Smart Home has the potential to be a real asset to Armidale and the wider region, attracting local, tourist and virtual visitors to this unique regional experience. There is a vacuum of information in relation to what the NBN will mean to businesses and residents in regional Australia, so we see this practical project as a way of addressing this void”, Mr Axelsson said.

Federal Member for New England, Tony Windsor said the project will serve as a platform to demonstrate how the NBN will enable innovation in regional areas. “Initiatives like the Armidale Broadband Smart Home that physically demonstrate the applications of the NBN around the home are critical to understanding the positive impacts of this nation-building infrastructure.

“I’d like to congratulate the project partners for having the vision to pursue this initiative. It’s great to see local people taking advantage of the widespread opportunities that the NBN can offer,” Mr Windsor said.

As well as the general public, the house will also be used by local TAFE and University students to trial and demonstrate various cutting-edge projects across a range of areas. The house is already being used by NBN Co and Retail Service Providers to trial and deploy NBN-related equipment and services.

The Armidale Broadband Smart Home has already attracted in excess of $50,000 in funding and significant interest from a wide range of groups who are committed to ensuring the success of the project.

Participating partners in the project are Regional Development Australia Northern Inland, NSW Trade & Investment, ISU Solutions, CSIRO, The Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation, TAFE New England Institute, The University of New England, Armidale Dumaresq Council, Internode, Essential Energy and NBN Co.

It is expected that the house will be open to the public by June 2012.