18 June 2007

The Australian government has launched an initiative to make broadband
a reality for all households across the country by mid-2009. Called
Australia Connected, the new network will provide 12Mbps connections to
thousands of rural and regional communities, building on the 4.3
million homes and small businesses that are already connected to
broadband. The new network will be built by OPEL, a joint venture
between Optus and Elders. The consortium has been awarded AUD958
million (USD807 million) of funding from the government, with a
possible AUD1 billion in reserve. OPEL is also providing AUD900 million
of its own funds for the project. Work on the new high speed wholesale
broadband network will begin immediately, using an ADSL2+ platform
supported by a variety of wireless technologies.