The Government has offered Australia's three mobile operators, and vividwireless, renewal of their existing spectrum allocated on 15 year licences in the late 90s and early 2000s at set prices, while the Government expects to rake in $3 billion.
The Labor Government's National Broadband Network will deliver speeds ten times faster than originally planned at 1Gpbs, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said.
At an official switch-on ceremony with Prime Minister Julia Gillard heralding the first commercial NBN services in Tasmania, Senator Conroy said the NBN Co had completed network design and development work that would allow for the deployment of 1Gbps technology.
NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley will unveil details of the 1Gbps broadband speeds in Sydney later today, Senator Conroy said.
The Prime Minister used the Midway Point ceremony to draw attention to the stark choice voters will have on broadband policy at the August 21 poll.
"Rolling out the national broadband (network) and ensuring we have the benefits of the national broadband network around the nation is a key part of my economic plan for the future," Ms Gillard said.
"It's about job, and the jobs involved in construction – and at construction 25,000 direct jobs will be created," she said. "But importantly it will be about the jobs of the future and how they will be created and how our nation can compete with countries around the world."
"The choices, as we move toward election day, could not be clearer. I will build the national broadband network. Mr Abbott, if he is elected as Prime Minister, will not. That decision will cost Australian jobs." Ms Gillard said.
Meanwhile, Senator Conroy said although optical fibre was the gold standard for broadband – and that the new 1Gb speeds were an example of that – the Government plan was not exclusively focused on fixed-line communications.
"We all want mobility, let me be very clear about this," Senator Conroy said. "We are releasing the largest slab of spectrum to be used for wireless broadband. This is not a government that is dedicated purely to fibre."
"We are releasing as part of the digital dividend, we are switching off analogue TV all across the country, we are delivering the biggest slab of spectrum for wireless broadband than just about anywhere in the world," he said.
"And we've got more to come. So we are very committed to the mobile world."
David Bass
| ComOps, a leading Australian provider of business software products and services, has won a competitive tender to deploy its Salvus safety, r…
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