Media Release
Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity
6,000km regional broadband backbone for National Broadband Network
The Rudd Government today announced 6,000km of regional fibre broadband backbone links, the first building blocks of the National Broadband Network on mainland Australia.
"This priority $250 million investment will directly benefit more than 395,000 people in 100 regional locations and create new jobs across five states and the Northern Territory," said the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.
"These regional backbones are the first building blocks of the National Broadband Network on the mainland and will stimulate competition and better broadband services across regional Australia."
"This is just the beginning and the National Broadband Network will ensure high-speed broadband is also expanded to all homes, schools and workplaces across Australia."
Senator Conroy today signed an agreement with Leighton Holdings owned Nextgen Networks to construct the new broadband backbone infrastructure under the $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program. Nextgen was selected through a competitive tender process.
Nextgen will build backbone transmission links and provide more than 100 access points en-route to six priority blackspot locations:
- Geraldton, Western Australia.
- Darwin, Northern Territory.
- Emerald and Longreach, Queensland.
- Broken Hill, New South Wales.
- Victor Harbor, South Australia.
- South West Gippsland, Victoria.
These priority locations were chosen following a public consultation process to identify competition and capacity shortfalls.
Nextgen is also making a substantial investment towards the project and will build, operate and maintain the infrastructure for five years after its completion. Nextgen expects the investment to create more than 1,000 full time equivalent jobs and provide economic stimulus to regional locations during the construction and operation of the networks.
"I want to congratulate Nextgen on its successful tender to deploy nearly 6,000km of new backbone broadband infrastructure for regional Australia," Senator Conroy said.
"Nextgen has demonstrated the ability to deliver timely, high-quality, innovative solutions that will enable retail service providers to offer world-class communication services for residential consumers, business, schools, hospitals and other essential services in regional communities."
"Backbone infrastructure provides the communication links that connect our towns, cities and rural areas to each other and the world," Senator Conroy said.
In addition, assistance will be provided to regional communities to take full advantage of the new infrastructure through $5 million funding for regional NBN coordinators.
"The NBN coordinators will work closely with Nextgen, local communities, governments and retail service providers to ensure that they are able to make full use of the new infrastructure."
More information, maps and a regional broadband backbone factsheet are online: www.dbcde.gov.au/blackspots_program
Date: 4 December 2009
Contact: Tim Marshall 0408 258 457
