Internet service provider for the Australian tertiary education and research sector communities, AARNet, will provide services for Australian schools, universities and research organisations to participate in what is claimed to be the world’s most widely attended video conference.

Australia will be the first country to present at the Seventh Annual Megaconference, beginning at midnight on Friday 2 December and running until 3pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Saving time) which will involve participants from the research and education sector across all continents. Incorporating distributed content from more than 372 registered sites around the world, with over 30 participants in Australia, the event will include over 3,000 viewers in-conference not including those viewing from a web browser.

“One of the wonderful things about AARNet is its capability to impact on people’s lives. This educational forum provides the next generation with access to a broad range of experiences in real-time –something that couldn’t have been contemplated in Australia until the advent of AARNet,” said Chris Hancock, CEO of AARNet.

“This event is particularly beneficial for primary school age children who have the opportunity to interact with others and share their experiences and cultures. It is also a valuable opportunity for Australian universities to showcase their institution to a global audience,” said Mr Hancock.

According to AARNet, an increase in capacity with the announcement of 10Gbps access via AARNet3 has allowed more people to participate in the international Megaconference than ever before.

Local viewers will a range of scientific content from different time zones around the world during the 16-hour television show and will also see a range of sites from within their own country.

Australia’s Charles Sturt University will launch the Megaconference, with Associate Professor David McKinnon demonstrating the use of its remote telescope showing participants the southern skies above the City of Bathurst, 200 kilometres to the west of Sydney.