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Thu 19 APR

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NSW Far South Coast enters space age

Posted on Thursday 19 April 2012 by Matt Dawson

Wolumla, approximately 15 kilometres north-west of the township of Merimbula, has been chosen as the spot for NBN Co's first satellite gateway, beaming a high speed broadband link from Earth to NBN Co's own satellites, planned to be launched and operational by 2015.
 
The two satellites will then broadcast high speed broadband services to homes, farms and businesses in remote parts of Australia.
 
Wolumla is to be the first site for 10 such satellite facilities, with construction set to begin next year. The ground station is scheduled to be up and running in 2015 and will consist of six satellite dishes on a single-storey building.
 
The construction and operation of the satellite ground station is expected to bring economic benefits to the local area, with full-time staff employed at the site.
 
Importantly for people in towns like Bega, Merimbula and Eden, hosting the satellite ground station in the area doesn’t mean these towns will miss out on fibre optic broadband. Their size and population means, subject to finalisation of our rollout plans, we expect many will receive the fibre optic service during the rollout of the National Broadband Network.

Smaller towns that can't be connected by fibre are expected to be connected via satellite or fixed wireless broadband, with the advantage that they are planned to be among the first in Australia to experience high speed broadband via the NBN by 2015.

Wolumla was chosen for a number of reasons: the climate is perfect for our needs, and it’s also located close to reliable power and other infrastructure including the NBN’s core fibre transit network.
 
We are really delighted that Bega Valley Shire Council has been so welcoming to the project.
 
Mayor Tony Allen tells us that “there will be opportunity for local businesses to reap the benefits of high-speed broadband internet and for other residents and businesses to be drawn to the Shire, taking advantage of our lifestyle over the congestion of city living.”   
 
Once the development application is lodged, NBN Co will make more information available about the construction of the site. Community members will then be welcomed to make comments and ask questions during the DA process.

View more about:
Satellite, NSW, Wolumla NSW, Satellite ground stations

By Matt Dawson, Program Manager, Satellite

Matt is responsible for delivering NBN Co's Interim and Long Term Satellite solutions — the latter being one of Australia's largest aerospace projects in the past decade. Matt is managing the process from scoping and design through to the satellites' launch into geostationary orbit, along with the necessary ground stations, support and control capabilities.

Legal stuff you need to know:

When we talk about speeds delivered over the National Broadband Network, we are referring to the wholesale speed to telephone and internet service providers. The speed you can achieve, and services you can use, on your individual connection will depend on many factors including the services you subscribe to, the software and communication protocols you use, quality of your equipment and connection to your home/business, the broadband plans offered by your telephone or internet provider and how it designs its network to cater for multiple users.

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