Telstra wants decision made on broadband

AAP - Telstra has called on the Rudd government to stop "dithering" and decide who will build its high-speed broadband network, saying repeated delays are costing the country up to $350 million a month.

The government had originally planned to award the tender to build the national fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network by June and have construction underway before the end of the year.

But the plan has been hit with a string of setbacks and the government is now unlikely to award the tender before the end of the year.

Telstra's public policy and communications head Phil Burgess believes a decision may come as late as September next year.

Dr Burgess said Telstra was increasingly concerned with the government's handling of the process and had reviewed a series of existing studies to assess the economic impact of delay.

"By this continued delay and dithering about making a decision on the national broadband plan, we're sacrificing $200 to $350 million a month," Dr Burgess said. "There's no excuse for that. "We ought to be out there digging holes, laying cable, connecting people."

Dr Burgess said Telstra had commissioned a fresh study to examine the impact the network was likely to have on productivity, employment and GDP.