Work has started on the first section of the backbone for Australia’s National Broadband Network, the project funded by the government that will allow rival users to deliver high-speed internet services.
Australia’s minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy, Stephen Conroy, visited a remote corner of Queensland to see the work being started by Nextgen Networks for NBN Company, the wholesale operator set up by the government.
“Backbone infrastructure provides the communication links that connect our towns, cities and rural areas to each other and the world,” said Conroy.
The site, Mount Isa, was chosen because it has been identified as a broadband blackspot.
“This fibre optic backbone link will run from Darwin, through central and south east Queensland to Toowoomba, as part of the Government’s $250 million programme,” said Conroy. “One of the biggest obstacles for fast broadband in Mount Isa has been the lack of competitive fibre optic backbone services.”
In total, the NBN programme will see nearly 6,000 kilometre of new backbone links constructed across five separate routes.
“Once complete, this link will allow other broadband providers to enter the market and offer faster broadband speeds, cheaper prices and more choice for people and businesses across the region,” said Conroy.
Mount Isa is the midway point along the route from Darwin to Toowoomba, and the longest of the five regional backbone links that the NBN is planning. The link will take 18 months to build.
