News

Australia announces National Broadband Network to bring 100mbps to most residents and businesses

This is the type of project that our broadband stimulus plan dollars should be used to create. In particular, the network will be created as a wholesale network, which means that all ISPs can take advantage of the fiber conduit, and should help to create a vibrant, competitive market for broadband down under.

(thanks to Dave Isenberg and Catherine Middleton for the pointer)

http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/022

New National Broadband Network
The Rudd [Australian federal] Government today announced the establishment of a new company to build and operate a new super fast National Broadband Network.

This new super fast National Broadband Network, built in partnership with private sector, will be the single largest nation building infrastructure project in Australian history.

This new National Broadband Network will:

  • Connect 90 percent of all Australian homes, schools and workplaces with broadband services with speeds up to 100 megabits per second—100 times faster than those currently used by many households and businesses
  • Connect all other premises in Australia with next generation wireless and satellite technologies that will deliver broadband speeds of 12 megabits per second
  • Directly support up to 25,000 local jobs every year, on average, over the 8 year life of the project.

…

SPECIFICATIONS

The new superfast network will:

  • connect homes, schools and workplaces with optical fibre (fibre to the premises or ‘FTTP’), providing broadband services to Australians in urban and regional towns with speeds of 100 megabits per second – 100 times faster than those currently used by most people—extending to towns with a population of around 1,000 or more people
  • use next generation wireless and satellite technologies that will be able to deliver 12 megabits per second or more to people living in more remote parts of rural Australia
  • provide fibre optic transmission links connecting cities, major regional centres and rural towns
  • be Australia’s first national wholesale-only, open access broadband network
  • be built and operated on a commercial basis by a company established at arm’s length from Government and involve private sector investment
  • be expected to be rolled-out, simultaneously, in metropolitan, regional, and rural areas.