Amcom to build Adelaide wide 10gbps fibre net

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:34

Business IT - Networking

Amcom Telecommunications has entered a 20 year agreement with the South Australian Broadband Research and Education Network (SABRENet) to build, manage and access a $7.35 million 10gigabit per second fibre-optic network throughout Adelaide.

The project will be funded by SABRENet with Amcom contributing approximately 11 percent of construction costs. Construction is expected to take 12 months and has been subcontracted in back-to-back arrangements with Amcom's principle contractor, which will also be financing Amcom's contribution to the construction cost over a five year period.

SABRENet, however said that the federal minister for education, science and training Brendan Nelson has approved $6.55 million for the project, which would "position South Australia as the first state to extend the Australian Research and Education Network (AREN) to all major research sites, campuses, teaching hospitals and technology precincts."

Amcom said the roll-out would expand the reach of its current fibre network beyond the CBD enabling it to provide high speed data services to most of the satellite business an technology centres throughout the Adelaide's greater metropolitan area.

The network will span 92km linking key sites across the city, reaching north to Roseworthy in the Barossa Valley region (via the Mawson Lakes precinct), south to Flinders (via Urrbrae encompassing Flinders University and the medical precincts), east to Magill and west to Woodville. The cable will also pass close to a number of Telstra exchanges, "enabling the potential for a cost effective DSL rollout," Amcom suggests.