New nbn satellite broadband services launched for Wide Bay
2nd May, 2016
Quality broadband services will be available to many people for the first time following the commissioning last week of nbn’s Sky Muster Broadband Service. Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss said this is great news for Wide Bay as residents living in regional, remote and hard to connect areas can at last gain access to affordable high-speed broadband services.
“The satellite is a great practical example of the government’s commitment to ensuring everyone has access to the nbn. The remoteness of our continent and its islands will no longer be a barrier to broadband connectivity thanks to nbn’s Sky Muster.”
Offering download speeds of up to 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 5Mbps, the Sky Muster service will provide a fast online experience, especially for internet users living in regional and remote areas.
“The Australian Government has invested $2 billion in two advanced Ka-band satellites and a network of ground stations that make up the Sky Muster service,” Mr Truss said.
Equal priority will be given to new customers and current nbn Interim Satellite Service users migrating to Sky Muster. Around 5,000 users per month will be connected in the early months of the rollout before scaling up to 10,000 installations per month later this year.
Each service requires a professional installation of a new receiver dish and indoor modem. More than 600 installers have been fully trained and are each forecast to reach on average one to two premises per day.
A variety of competitively priced broadband plans are available from providers which compare favourably with current international and local commercial satellite and mobile internet plans.
Homes and businesses in Wide Bay will be eligible to connect to the service if they are outside of nbn’s fixed line and fixed wireless coverage areas.
“The launch of nbn’s commercial satellite services is delivering the Government’s commitment to bring high-speed broadband to rural and regional Australia and showcases our ability as a nation to successfully transition to a digital economy.”
For more information on eligibility and retailers visit: www.nbnco.com.au or freecall nbn on 1800 687 626
