FIRST PROVIDERS APPROVED TO SUPPLY AFFORDABLE
BROADBAND SERVICES TO REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
18 June 2004
89/04I am pleased to announce the approval of first two Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as providers under the Australian Government's Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS).
In response to the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry, the Government established the $107.8 million HiBIS program to improve access to and the affordability of broadband services in regional, rural and remote Australia.
HiBIS provides one-off per customer payments to service providers who provide eligible customers with higher bandwidth services at prices comparable with those available in metropolitan areas.
The first approved provider is Broadcasting Engineering Services (BES), trading as e-wire. BES is a Western Australian company offering cable broadband services to greenfields land developments in the regions around Perth.
Services will be rolled out to areas in the south-west, including Bunbury and Mandurah, from July 2004.
BES initially installed Hybrid Fibre Coax cables (HFC) in greenfield land development sites for the reticulation of free-to-air television services. This HFC network has the capacity to deliver a much broader range of services.
e-wire now has in excess of 1,500 Internet subscribers, with HiBIS funding providing the potential for many more users in regional WA.
The second approved provider is Regional Broadband Services (RBBS), a Canberra-based start-up company that delivers high speed, two-way, low cost broadband Internet services nationally through a Direct to Home (DTH) Satellite Service to people living in regional, rural and remote Australia.
With the assistance of HiBIS, RBBS will supply services through a ViaSat Surfbeam two-way satellite terminal modem and provide a one metre satellite dish and associated receiver/transmitter equipment.
Broadband helps to deliver better services in areas including health and education for people living in rural, regional and remote areas. They also deliver increased download speed and access to Internet multimedia such as video and audio programs.
For more information, follow the HiBIS link on www.telinfo.gov.au or phone 1800 883 488.
Media Contact: Carina Tan-Van Baren (02) 6277 7480 or 0439 425 373
