Nextgen hits half-way in regional backbone blackspots rollout

Stan Beer
Thursday, 11 November 2010 00:00

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

Transmission services provider Nextgen Networks today celebrated the completion of 3000km of construction in the Australian Government's Regional Backbone Blackspots Program (RBBP) in an event attended by Communications Minister in Melbourne. According to Nextgen, it has now reached the half-way point of its network construction.

The announcement was made at the National Project Office in Eastern Melbourne suburb of Mulgrave, 11 months after Nextgen was announced as the winner of the tender for the project.

Phil Sykes, Managing Director of Nextgen said: 'We commenced network construction activities on February 4, 2010, as a sign of confidence with the contract negotiation process which was not scheduled to be complete until March 2010.'

In the nine months since kickoff, Nextgen says it has already managed to:

'¢ Undertake detailed network design, establish a procurement program, obtain land access clearance and mobilise a highly skilled national labour force of more than 1,000;

'¢ Roll out in excess of 3000 km of fibre, representing approximately 50 per cent of the total network;

'¢ Make significant progress on all routes nominated by the Commonwealth.

The shorter routes to Geraldton in Western Australia, Victor Harbor in South Australia and South West Gippsland in Victoria are expected to be completed and commissioned by March 2011. The longer routes incorporating Emerald and Longreach in Queensland, Darwin in the Northern Territory, Broken Hill in New South Wales, the Riverland in South Australia and the Riverina in Victoria are expected to be completed in September 2011.

Mr Sykes noted: 'These network assets represent critical building blocks to Australia's emerging National Broadband Network. This will provide the wholesale market with competitive, low cost, high speed backhaul capability to deliver exciting new broadband and content to 60 regional towns.

In conjunction with its construction partner, Visionstream, Mr Sykes goes on to say: 'We have set new benchmarks in the design and deployment of nationally scaled fibre networks.'

As a result of these construction activities, Nextgen claims it will operate the second largest national long haul fibre network in the country.

'We continue to look forward to further extending backhaul reach to deliver an exciting and affordable broadband future to both urban and rural communities throughout Australia,' Mr Sykes said.