It’s going to be an important issue.
But NBNCo has for a long time virtually ignored MDUs (multi-dwelling units).
There are some situations like new builds and high rises (with service accessible service ducting) where MDU connections to the NBN might be relatively straightforward.
But the question of how internal cabling can be done for the thousands of older mid-sized apartment buildings is not well addressed. This is because they are probably going to be too big for individual stand-alone NBN connections but also probably too small to have all the accessible service ducting infrastructure that large (eg high-rise) complexes might have.
It’s usually straight forward enough to get the NBN cable to the building itself. But getting the distribution to apartments from there is the problem, and why MDUs have basically, until now, been ignored by the NBN – put in the “too hard” basket. There is is still precious little information available on what internal MDU options are possible, or more importantly, allowed. The prospect of running new cables all over the common property is not exactly appealing to owners corporations but it’s even less appealing to be pulling off CP plaster, running cables and then replacing and repainting it all. A solution that allowed the existing building telephone cables (a bit like the Liberal’s suggestion) or the TV distribution system or some type of local wi-fi would be easier to install.
It’s a similar thing with the Optus/Foxtel cable. Unless an OC agrees to sometimes quite extensive internal cabling demands (the back-bone), the OC is forced to take a satellite solution – which also has cabling demands, but not as many so it sometimes it can even be integrated into existing cabling.
Still, it’s going to happen! But exactly how seems still to be a bit of a mystery.