Telstra management says there are four options for the NBN :-

1/ Telstra is awarded the work

2/Other companies or consortiums are given the work, in which case Telstra will put all its efforts into upgrading its wireless network at the expense of its fixed network.

3/The Broadband network is broken up and different providers build the network in different states and territories(Quote - "This is the worst outcome for Australia") Example: Transact for the ACT, Tasmanian Government for Tasmania, The Business consortium in Victoria for Victoria etc.

4/The Government decides to do nothing as it is to hard and things will remain as they are.

How can Telstra roll out this network when it struggles at the moment to get its contractors to haul optic fibre cable for its customers and own business needs. Telstra's upper management is disregarding the information that has been provided to it for years about the state of its network and the extreme disrepair that it is suffering from. I for one do not believe that Telstra would be able to build a network in the required time frame due to a lack of suitably trained staff and a dwindling supply of quality contractors to do the work! Don't be fooled by the comments in regards to how quickly they built the next G network as the majority of equipment upgrades and installations were completed by overseas companies and staff not Telstra Staff!

@Stephen, having said that you don't think Telstra can build the NBN in the required time frame due to lack of techs. Who do you propose is more able to build it? Optus only has a fraction of the techs Telstra does because they only have a fraction of the net work Telstra does. Who else in the country has the facilities to build the network? Unless you propose Sing Tel importing workers to build it, It's not gona happen.