NEW England is one step closer to better broadband with the successful launch of the National Broadband Network’s (NBN) communication satellite, which will service more than 200,000 rural and remote Australians.
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The satellite, dubbed Sky Muster, blasted off from French Guiana early yesterday morning and will orbit about 36,000 kilometres above Australia – just over one-tenth of the way to the Moon.
NBN will now carry out testing on the new satellite and work with the retail providers that will offer services to customers who fall outside the fibre-to-the-node or fixed wireless broadband network.
It’s expected NBN users will be connected to Sky Muster from about mid-2016 and provide wholesale download speeds of up to 25 megabits per second.
A second satellite will be launched in the first half of next year, providing coverage for a further 200,000 homes.
Regional communications advocate Alun Davies said the satellite was a “game changer”.
“This is a tremendous step forward for regional Australia and it’s going to make a world of difference for people across New England,” Mr Davies said.
“The demand for faster internet in regional Australia has grown so much recently, the satellite couldn’t have gone up a moment sooner.”
Mr Davies said the satellite would allow farmers to use smart technology, such as data collection, on a massive scale which can improve the efficiency of food production and water use.
“We want to have the best communication with farmers and those unique industries in the middle of nowhere, because they are the future of Australia,” Mr Davies said.
Some experts have predicted the demand for faster internet in regional Australia will be so high, Sky Muster and its sister satellite will become congested, but Mr Davies said if that did happen, it’s still a “100 per cent improvement” on the current situation.
“This is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment – it will be able to see where demand is growing and specifically target that area,” Mr Davies said.
“The satellites give regional areas breathing space and the government will have time to plan ahead.”
New England MP Barnaby Joyce said the launch was “a great day for regional and rural Australians” and would ensure all Australians had access to fast broadband as soon as possible at affordable prices.
“NBN’s primary role is to enable Australia’s greater participation in the digital economy and to help bridge the digital divide – between young and old, city and country, and between Australia and the rest of the world,” he said.
