The Minister for Communications, Broadband and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, will release the NBN Implementation Study on the National Broadband Network (NBN) this week.
A spokesperson from Conroy's office told Computerworld Australia that the study would be released to media under embargo this week, which would lift on the afternoon of the same day. The spokesperson would not say which day.
The 500-page implementation report, co-authored by consulting firms KPMG and McKinsey & Company, provides 84 different recommendations on operating, financial and governance arrangements for the company responsible for rolling out the Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network, NBN Co, as well as advice on a legislative framework around the company.
The report was delivered to Conroy on 5 March this year. After drawing fire for lack of public disclosure, the Senator promised to release it before the Federal Budget on May 11. Since then, Conroy has kept quiet on when and how the report would be released, leading some to speculate that he would miss his own timeline.
However, the report, which has also been read by NBN Co chief executive officer, Mike Quigley,, is unlikely to disclose anything revelatory to the national infrastructure project. While the NBN Co has had a hand in developing the report, the company has already begun exploring implementation procedures via its own means with Quigley describing the study as something for government consumption as a policy document.
NBN Co has publicly begun detailing roll-out plans, and has recently contracted seven construction companies to design construction techniques for the NBN's five mainland trial sites.
The NBN Implementation Study's release comes as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and shadow communications minister Tony Smith made pledges to scrap the project if they win the next Federal election.
The Communications Alliance has recently issued an alternative, unsanctioned implementation report as a reference document for industry professionals.