10 November 2006
Minister welcomes faster broadband announcement
The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, today welcomed Telstra’s announcement that it would upgrade its ADSL broadband network and switch on ADSL 2+ to deliver high speed broadband to more Australians.
“The Government supports any moves to deliver Australians faster broadband speeds,” Senator Coonan said.
“Today’s announcement will be welcome news to those business and residential customers across Australia that have been clamouring for faster broadband.”
Telstra has signalled that it will upgrade its ADSL network to provide speeds of up to 8mbps. Telstra will also offer speeds of up to 20mbps using ADSL2+ technology. However, Telstra will limit this ADSL 2+ upgrade to only those exchanges where competitors are already offering high speed broadband.
“Telstra’s long awaited switch on of its ADSL 2+ equipment means there are now 13 companies around Australia that are supplying high speed broadband to millions of Australians using ADSL2+,” Senator Coonan said.
“However, it is disappointing that it has not extended these fast speeds to everyone who can access ADSL technology. In a competition sense, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Mr Graeme Samuel has indicated publicly that he sees no compelling case for declaring Telstra’s ADSL 2+ service.
Today’s announcement is further evidence that it is competition that provides the incentive for the industry to deliver new services.
“The Government’s promotion of a competitive broadband market is delivering real results,” Senator Coonan said.
“Australians are embracing broadband so quickly that we are now ranked second in the OECD countries for growth in broadband take-up.”
ADSL broadband is just one of the many technologies used to deliver broadband. Australian consumers can also access fast broadband speeds via wireless, satellite and cable technologies.
“And there are many companies offering fast broadband speeds across Australia. I encourage consumers to shop around for the best deal that meets their broadband needs,” Senator Coonan said.
The Government will continue to encourage investment in infrastructure to deliver faster broadband through the $878 million Broadband Connect program.