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Broken Hill, in the far west of New South Wales, is to house an NBN satellite station, it was announced today. The satellite facility will help deliver services over the National Broadband Network to remote communities such as Menindee, Purnamoota, Yanco Glen and Kanbara. Broken Hill itself will be included in the fibre network. Broken Hill is the latest named location of the 10 satellite stations to be built throughout the country, along with sites in Bourke, Wolumla in NSW, WA, Qld and Tasmania.
The NBN’s Interim Satellite Service is currently delivering broadband to more than 17,000 premises countrywide and the Long Term Satellite Service is to begin operation in 2015. The Broken Hill ground station will consist of a single-storey building with two 13.5-metre diameter satellite dishes on a site approximately 9km east of the town on the Barrier Highway. Construction is due to kick of next year. Two NBN communications satellites are currently under construction and are designed to deliver wholesale speeds of up to 12Mbps to internet service providers. |
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| “Broken Hill is ideally situated to play a central role in delivering better broadband to the outback. It has the ideal climate and is close to reliable power and other infrastructure including the NBN’s core fibre transit network- the main fibre transmission lines linking towns and our exchanges,” said Matt Dawson, NBN Co’s Program Director, Satellites.
The centre is also expected to provide a boost to the local economy and NBN contractor Cockram Construction will require 20-30 construction workers to build the facility. |
