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"The National Broadband Network will represent the single largest investment in broadband infrastructure in Australia's history. The Australian Government has committed up to $4.7 billion and to considering any necessary regulatory changes to enable the roll-out'', the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy said.
According to the Minister, the National Broadband Network will be designed to:
? deliver minimum download speeds of 12 megabits per second to 98 per cent of Australian homes and businesses;
? have the network rolled out and made operational progressively over five years using fibre-to-the-node or fibre-to-the-premises technology;
? support high quality voice, data and video services including symmetric applications such as high-definition video-conferencing;
? earn the Commonwealth a return on its investment;
? facilitate competition in the telecommunications sector through open access arrangements that allow all service providers access to the network on equivalent terms; and
? enable uniform and affordable retail prices to consumers, no matter where they live.
