Australia's NBN Co announced plans to invest up to A$700 million in a multi-faceted package of initiatives over the next three years to support business innovation, productivity and growth.
NBN Co said its goal is to significantly expand the national reach for Internet retailers to offer solutions based on wholesale business nbn Enterprise Ethernet services, increasing choice and availability for businesses across the country.
- The creation of up to 240 nbn Business Fibre Zones across Australia, including a presence in 85 regional centres. All businesses within these zones will have access to Enterprise Ethernet, at significantly reduced wholesale prices. In total, these zones are expected to cover more than 700,000 business premises. nbn is disclosing the locations of the first 130 nbn Business Fibre Zones, including 61 in regional locations such as Bunbury, Mount Gambier, Devonport, Shepparton, Port Macquarie and Rockhampton.
- Businesses in nbn Business Fibre Zones will see Enterprise Ethernet pricing reduced, some by up to 67 percent, giving thousands of regional businesses access to the same support as businesses in capital city centres, at the same wholesale price. Enterprise Ethernet is NBN Co’s fastest symmetrical wholesale product and premium-grade business offering. It has options for prioritised traffic, high capacity and symmetrical upload and download wholesale speeds from 10Mbps to close to 1Gbps, as well as enhanced 24/7 support through the business nbn Operations Centre with a dedicated team located in Australia.
- NBN Co has allocated $50 million over three years to work with local councils and state and territory governments to identify opportunities to extend business-grade services outside designated nbn™ Business Fibre Zones.
- When an Internet retailer places an order for Enterprise Ethernet, for an estimated 90 per cent of business premises in the national nbn network footprint, NBN Co will not charge the retailer for building the fibre. Plus, if an Internet retailer signs up for a three-year Enterprise Ethernet plan, NBN Co will not charge the retailer an up-front connection cost.
"Having helped level the playing field for residential internet services with the rollout of the nbn™ network, we are now turning our attention to accessibility for our premium-grade business services, helping businesses in regional areas access the benefits of competition, enhanced broadband support services, and better wholesale nbn prices for the digital services they need to succeed," stated NBN Co Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Rue.
