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NBN fixed-wireless trial to begin in April

Armidale, Tamworth and Toowoomba to trial fixed-wireless LTE service first

The National Broadband Network (NBN) fixed-wireless network trial will commence in April, according to NBN Co.

Communications vendor, Ericsson, nabbed the $1.1 billion contract to help NBN Co build a 4G fixed-wireless network in June 2011.

Two months later, Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conory, revealed the first five locations to get the fixed-wireless network service.

Network testing will take place in Armidale. NBN Co’s most recent plan is to make the trial fixed-wireless service available in Armidale, Tamworth (both in NSW) and Toowoomba (QLD) first, followed by Ballarat (VIC), Darwin (NT) and Geraldton (WA).

The trial is expected to last six months and network testing will occur in Armidale first.

Maximum download speeds for the network is offer 12Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream for wholesale ISPs.

“This will allow service providers to offer end-users with a highly reliable and potentially faster broadband service than what is currently available in these first release locations,” NBN Co said in a statement. “… We anticipate higher speeds becoming available as technology advances and the network is upgraded over time.” NBN Co’s fixed-wireless service is not available in town centres. The company will not charge any fees for the service during the six-month trial.

Some ISPs such as Rivertel have already started appealing to customers to participate in the network trial.

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

More about: Ericsson, etwork
References show all

Comments

1

Keithy

Thu 19/01/2012 - 18:40

The 'productivity question' will be largely answered by these trials.

How embarrassed are the SILVER SPOONERS that their economic trump card has been lost because of silly statements by Joe Hockey, not to mention the vacuous economic plan put forward by Tony Abbott for a country that is building China and entering the 21st century wondering what it will do once China stops buying: because it will.

"IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!", AND TONY ABBOTT HAS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER SO WHY DON'T SOME JOURNALISTS ASK THEM?

Eric Ripper was lampooned for being so vacuous, yet the Libs and their supporters pretend they are born experts when it comes to 'the economy'. THEY DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND 'THE ECONOMY' IS MADE UP OF PEOPLE!!

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