The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has announced the town of Bourke, in far north-west NSW, will host a new facility to help deliver high speed broadband to remote communities across the country.

 

The satellite ground station gateway forms part of the NBN’s Long Term Satellite Service, designed to deliver broadband speeds of up to 12 Mbps to homes, farms and business in remote parts of Australia.

 

The satellite service will deliver broadband speeds to the 7 per cent of the Australian population who cannot be serviced by the rollout of the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service currently being rolled out.

 

Following extensive consultation with Bourke Shire Council, the new facility is planned to be constructed on an existing industrial development, approximately eight kilometres north of the town centre.

 

Once built, the ground station will comprise a single storey building with up to three 13-metre-in-diametre satellite dishes. Construction is expected to begin next year with the facility scheduled to be up and running by 2015.

 

"We chose Bourke because it was an ideal location with an ideal climate. The town is also located 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,” NBN Co’s Program Director, Satelittes, Matt Dawson said.