Australia’s NBN suffers satellite delay
February 3, 2015
By Chris Forrester
Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN), which supplies terrestrial and broadband-by-satellite to Australia, is having to postpone the launch of its latest satellite because Arianespace cannot secure a launch partner for the craft.
NBN’s satellite director Matt Dawson has reportedly written to staff saying that the delay will mean the launch date slipping to the end of this year. The knock-on from the delay will mean that NBN’s second satellite will slip into 2016.
Currently NBN uses ipStar to deliver services. The launch of its own pair of satellites will expand the now saturated capacity available on ipStar. Consumers in Australia’s outback as well as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Macquarie Island and the Cocos Islands, will then be able to access broadband.
NBN is helping transition Australia into an all-digital future. NBN is an Australia-wide project to upgrade the existing fixed line phone and internet network infrastructure. NBN is replacing most of the traditional landline networks for phone and internet services, including copper and the majority of HFC networks, within its fixed line footprint with a mix of technologies. Services provided over existing fibre networks (including in-building, health and education networks) and some special and business services may not be affected.