National Broadband Network: Regional Backbone Blackspots Program

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As part of the Australian Government's commitment to deliver a National Broadband Network that will provide high-speed broadband to Australian homes and workplaces, it has invested nearly $250 million to immediately address backbone blackspots throughout regional Australia.

Backbone links are the broadband highways that connect our cities, towns and rural areas to the wider world. Enhancing backbone competition assists broadband and telephony providers to improve the range, quality and prices of the services they offer in regional areas.

The objectives of the Regional Backbone Blackspots Program have been to:

deliver an immediate economic stimulus
reduce the cost of broadband services
put in place key infrastructure for the roll-out of the National Broadband Network.

Construction along all five RBBP links—Geraldton, South West Gippsland, Victor Harbor, Broken Hill and Darwin—is now complete, and a full range of competitive backbone services, is being made available by Nextgen Networks on an open-access and equivalent basis.

The increased competition within the backbone market is encouraging retail service providers to improve the range, quality and prices of broadband and telephony services available to regional Australians. New and improved retail services are now available on all RBBP links, including the 3800 km Darwin to Toowoomba link, which was completed late last year.