Government takes Lead To Connect NSW To Broadband
Announcement posted by NSW Department of Information Technology and Management 19 Sep 2002
The call has gone out to the private sector to work with the NSW Government to connect up to 5,000 sites throughout the State to faster and more reliable telecommunications services, NSW Minister for Information Technology Kim Yeadon announced today.
Mr Yeadon said the NSW Government today called for Expressions of Interest on how companies could provide broadband connections via rail and electricity infrastructure as well as towers ducts and rights of way owned by the NSW Government.
He said this could provide fast, reliable Internet connections for towns from the Queensland to Victorian border including Armidale, Tamworth, Lithgow, Kiama, Yass, Wagga Wagga and Jindera.
This is part of $283 million plan to bring faster and more reliable telecommunications services to towns and cities throughout NSW, Mr Yeadon said.
Nowhere else in Australia is it being attempted on this sort of size or scale.
The NSW Government wants the private sector to come forward and show how it can provide the last mile connection to a backbone of fibre optic cable running from the Queensland to the Victorian border.
More than 1,500km of cable runs along side our States electricity network while a backbone of cable runs alongside our rail network in areas from Newcastle in the north, Lithgow in the west and Goulburn and Kiama in the south.
More than 5,000 sites in towns and cities have the potential to be connected to this fibre optic backbone.
This means that broadband can be brought into sites such as schools, hospitals, police stations and other important community service providers.
Mr Yeadon said that pilot studies on innovative last mile connection to the state owned cable had meant Internet download times were cut from 20 minutes to less than one minute.
Under this Expression of Interest I want the private sector to replicate this success, Mr Yeadon said.
This means that the benefits of broadband now being seen at Muswellbrook High School will be able to be brought to the local hospital, police station, local court, ambulance station and library.
And once these services had been connected, the private sector will have the opportunities to roll out these same services to the rest of the community. This will provide a springboard for greater competition in telecommunications industry in NSW and better and cheaper services.
The NSW Government currently spends more than $250 million on telecommunication services, with this figure predicted to grow to as much $500 million in four years time.
The NSW Government has the chance to deliver better services to the people of NSW, while saving millions of taxpayers money.
Mr Yeadon said Expression of Interests had to be lodged by 12 November 2002.
Mr Yeadon said the NSW Government today called for Expressions of Interest on how companies could provide broadband connections via rail and electricity infrastructure as well as towers ducts and rights of way owned by the NSW Government.
He said this could provide fast, reliable Internet connections for towns from the Queensland to Victorian border including Armidale, Tamworth, Lithgow, Kiama, Yass, Wagga Wagga and Jindera.
This is part of $283 million plan to bring faster and more reliable telecommunications services to towns and cities throughout NSW, Mr Yeadon said.
Nowhere else in Australia is it being attempted on this sort of size or scale.
The NSW Government wants the private sector to come forward and show how it can provide the last mile connection to a backbone of fibre optic cable running from the Queensland to the Victorian border.
More than 1,500km of cable runs along side our States electricity network while a backbone of cable runs alongside our rail network in areas from Newcastle in the north, Lithgow in the west and Goulburn and Kiama in the south.
More than 5,000 sites in towns and cities have the potential to be connected to this fibre optic backbone.
This means that broadband can be brought into sites such as schools, hospitals, police stations and other important community service providers.
Mr Yeadon said that pilot studies on innovative last mile connection to the state owned cable had meant Internet download times were cut from 20 minutes to less than one minute.
Under this Expression of Interest I want the private sector to replicate this success, Mr Yeadon said.
This means that the benefits of broadband now being seen at Muswellbrook High School will be able to be brought to the local hospital, police station, local court, ambulance station and library.
And once these services had been connected, the private sector will have the opportunities to roll out these same services to the rest of the community. This will provide a springboard for greater competition in telecommunications industry in NSW and better and cheaper services.
The NSW Government currently spends more than $250 million on telecommunication services, with this figure predicted to grow to as much $500 million in four years time.
The NSW Government has the chance to deliver better services to the people of NSW, while saving millions of taxpayers money.
Mr Yeadon said Expression of Interests had to be lodged by 12 November 2002.