Regional Backbone Blackspots Program
As part of theThe Australian Government’s commitment to deliver the NBN, it hasis invested $250 million to immediately address backbone blackspots throughout regional Australia.
Backbone links are the broadband highways that connect our cities, towns and rural areas to the wider world.
Enhancing backbone competition assists broadband and telephony providers to improve the range, quality and prices of the services they offer in regional areas.
The objectives of the Regional Backbone Blackspots Program were to:
- deliver an immediate economic stimulus
- reduce the cost of broadband services
- put in place key infrastructure for the rollout of the NBN
Construction along all five links – Geraldton (WA), South West Gippsland (Vic), Victor Harbor (SA), Broken Hill (NSW) and Darwin (NT) – is now complete.
In total, the program has delivered 6000km of fibre optic cable across mainland Australia, which could benefit up to 400,000 people in more than 100 regional locations.
The new competitive backbone links will assist service providers to deliver higher quality and lower cost broadband and phone services to regional Australia.
The Australian Government expects the rollout of new competitive backbone links will benefit regional businesses and residents in a number of ways, including:
- lower prices, greater choice, more generous download allowances and greater access to fixed broadband services
- higher quality and increased availability and choice of mobile broadband services
- lower cost data services for small and medium enterprises and businesses with regional offices.
To facilitate competition, the new backbone transmission services will be offered on open and equivalent terms and conditions to ensure equal access for service providers.
- For more information, see the Regional Backbone Blackspots Program section on the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy’s website.
