Broadband to change the way we work

People will be able to work from home and have more flexible hours.

It also will create the opportunity for women with young children to be retained in the workforce. T

he survey, commissioned by Macquarie Telecom, says more than 50 per cent of respondents say a high-speed fibre-optic network will result in new products and services and better communication with customers.

Respondents say the changes will make businesses more competitive and expand their target markets and geographic reach.

And 73 per cent believe faster delivery of products and services will result.

"The message says, today, over three-quarters of businesses think it will have a profound change," Access Economics director Ric Simes said.

The findings are contained in the report Australian Business Expectations for the National Broadband Network, based on a survey of 550 firms across 17 industry groups.

The research shows the electricity and utility sector has the highest expectations of change, with 80 per cent of respondents saying the NBN will alter the way they operate.

That was followed closely by the media and telecommunications sector, education, retail and health.

Mr Simes said 20 per cent of businesses expected changes to their employment model, in particular the location of staff.

"That is things like being able to work from home, more flexible hours or more flexible ways of working and the ability to attract higher skilled staff," he said.

"One of the more obvious examples that comes up is women who have had children being able to return to work in a more flexible way, which means businesses are going to be able to retain skilled staff more easily than they will otherwise."

Communication with customers would get an overhaul in about 55 per cent of businesses, which predicted a greater role for social media, more interactive website content and the ability to transform e-commerce.

The NBN business case summary released by the Federal Government last week has estimated a $35.7 billion capital expenditure for the NBN network.

"The measures that tend to get reported the most, in terms of productivity and GDP are only part of the story," Mr Simes said.

"But one of the implications (of the NBN) is that it will enable a more competitive economy, a more dynamic economy, throughout the whole economy."

It would be "very difficult" to provide the kind of cost-benefit analysis the Federal Opposition has been calling for to back up spending on the NBN, he said.