By Claire Reilly
SYDNEY, NSW: South Australia is set to join the digital revolution that Senator Stephen Conroy has been so extensively trumpeting, with the announcement today of the launch of new ADSL2+ broadband services in the Victor Harbour area.
Senator Conroy, the minister responsible for communications and broadband (and the much publicised NBN), announced the arrival of speedy broadband saying it was “a substantial improvement to the ADSL1 services previously on offer,” and was capable of supporting “exciting new applications such as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television)”.
This is exciting news for retailers who will now be able to market IPTV-capable products to their full extent, capitalising on the boom in broadband services. Customers will have access to features such as video on demand at speeds never before experienced.
Internet service provider Internode will provide the broadband service, offering entry-level packages with six times the download allowance and speeds up to 200% greater than previous Internode entry-level packages, the Senator said.
"This new infrastructure allows internet services providers, such as Internode, to expand their services into many regional parts of South Australia, including Victor Harbor,” said Senator Conroy. “It means faster, cheaper and more competitive broadband for families and small businesses along this fibre route.”
The new services will rely on a 146-kilometre backbone link to Victor Harbour, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
This link has recently been completed as a part of the Government’s Regional Backbone Blackspots Program, which is set to roll out new services across South Australia in the coming months.