The cabinets will be located above ground, usually on residential street nature strips, and will generally measure 125 centimetres high by 125cm wide and 50cm deep.

The metal cabinets will be painted green with a concrete plinth surround.

The cabinets contain a broadband node that will connect a fibre-optic cable to existing phone lines that lead to individual houses and businesses.

Horsham Rural City Councillors have been told the location of the cabinets is intended to minimise inconvenience to street users, and interference to the adjoining properties.

The new connections should be about three times faster than the best internet services currently available in Horsham.

Cr Mark Radford said in a council meeting last week that the National Broadband Network roll-out report was a good news story.

The National Broadband Network Company and its regional contractor Tata Consultancy Services started inspecting potential locations around Horsham as well as the existing copper phone network.

Tata has told Horsham council staff that NBNCo might have to install extra phone line pits and other infrastructure to install fibre-to-the-node technology.

Horsham council chief executive Peter Brown said he could understand that residents might have concerns about the cabinets.

“However, this is what is going to be happening across Australia,” he said.

“Residents will have to have a conversation with NBNCo.”

Mr Brown said he hoped to lobby NBNCo for fibre-to-the-premises for businesses that need faster connections.

“We would like for as many businesses as possible to have access to fibre-to-the premises,” he said.

“The NBN is in the planning stage and we would like to know what is possible before we look at costs.”

Fibre-to-the-premises technology offers speeds between four and 40 times greater than fibre-to-the-node.

Installing fibre-optic cable to individual premises requires more of the street and nature strip to be excavated, holes drilled in walls and new electronic equipment installed inside each building.  

Horsham council infrastructure manager Martin Duke told councillors last week that his staff would work with NBNco to supervise the roll out. 

“There is not expected to be any cost to council apart from liaising on the design locations, and oversight of the works to ensure vehicle traffic and pedestrian interference is minimised, and the impact on existing Council and other authority underground assets is as little as possible,” Mr Duke stated.

Mr Duke also told councillors that Tata intended to have the proposed street works design and locations sent to council for comment by September 30.

“At the same time NBNCo will be notifying affected adjoining property owners and occupiers of these locations,” Mr Duke stated. 

NBNCo plans to start rolling out new fibre and cabinets from February to April 2017 in three distinct sections of Horsham.