BREAKING: Telstra flicks the switch on ADSL2+ at 900 exchanges
Dan Warne06 February 2008, 2:23 AM
UPDATED |Prime Minister Rudd and Communications Minister Conroy this morning announced Telstra would turn on the ADSL2+ broadband capability it has at 900 exchanges around the country.
The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and communications minister Stephen Conroy this morning announced Telstra would turn on the ADSL2+ broadband capability it has at 900 exchanges around the country.
Telstra reversed its decision of keeping the ADSL2+ DSLAMs in cold storage because the new Labor government gave it an assurance it would not have to provide ADSL2+ wholesale access to other ISPs.
Telstra said it had received a letter from communications minister Senator Conroy, stating: “[Because] Telstra is in a position to enable ADSL2+ in a number of exchanges across Australia, in metropolitan, regional and rural areas… I would welcome a decision by Telstra to switch on ADSL2+ services in as many exchange areas as possible. Switching on these services would benefit the national interest, delivering significant economic and social benefits to Australian consumers who cannot currently access high speed broadband.”
Telstra said it would activate ADSL2+ exchanges in the following order –
- 370 telephone exchanges serving nearly 1.8 million premises within seven working days. Within the first two days, exchanges serving nearly a million premises in locations such as Alice Springs (NT), Banora Point (NSW), Buderim (Qld), Deer Park (Vic), Kalgoorlie and Karratha (WA), Newtown (Tas) and Victor Harbor (SA); and within seven working days exchanges will be upgraded serving locations such as Ayr (Qld), Aldinga (SA), Mittagong (NSW), Lakes Entrance (Vic), Sandy Bay (Tas) and Madjimup (WA).
- 132 telephone exchanges serving 230,000 premises will be upgraded within three weeks – serving locations such as Loxton (SA), Tully (Qld), Narromine (NSW), Camperdown (Vic), Howard Springs (NT), Smithton (Tas) and Yanchep (WA).
- An additional 405 exchanges serving more than 330,000 premises will be upgraded within 200 days as Telstra completes additional work – serving locations such as Grovedale (Vic), Tumbarumba (NSW), Barcaldine (Qld), Ceduna (SA), Forrestdale (WA) and Cambridge (Tas).
Telstra said the 900 additional exchanges that will provide ADSL2+ high-speed broadband serve –
- approximately 730,000 homes and businesses in NSW
- more than 660,000 homes and businesses in Victoria
- more than 570,000 homes and businesses in Queensland
- more than 170,000 homes and businesses in Western Australia
- nearly 80,000 homes and businesses in South Australia
- more than 120,000 homes and businesses in Tasmania
- more than 50,000 homes and businesses in the Northern Territory
- more than 2,000 homes and businesses in the Australian Capital Territory.
However, when Telstra first launched ADSL2+, it claimed to already have equipment installed in 2400 exchanges. It is not yet clear why it is only activating 900 exchanges in this announcement. We've put the question to Telstra.
(UPDATE: Telstra has responded, clarifying that its original "2400 exchanges" statement related to the total number of exchanges with ADSL, not ADSL2+. The press release Telstra put out on 10 November 2006, announcing the release of Telstra ADSL2+, said "The new national high-speed broadband network includes more than 2,400 ADSL-enabled exchanges that reach around 91 per cent percent of the population" -- so you can see where the confusion arose.)
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