nbn’s broadband satellite service Sky Muster™ is now available to be sold by broadband retailers in Australia.
Since blasting 36,000km into space in October 2015, the satellite and ten nbn ground stations have undergone extensive testing and monitoring, including end-user trials.
Around 200 homes in regional and remote areas have trialled the Sky Muster satellite service and have been pleased with the results.
On average, the trials have delivered speeds of up to 25/5Mbps for end users trialling the service.
nbn Chief Customer Officer John Simon said the Sky Muster satellite is designed to provide access to fast broadband for many areas that have never had it before.
“The nbn Sky Muster satellite service will make a truly transformational difference to rural and remote Australians as we offer some of the world’s fastest and largest consumer satellite broadband plans to remote and isolated areas of Australia,” Mr Simon said.
“Broadband is essential for modern living. People in remote and isolated parts of the country will be better able to run their businesses, learn, stay in touch with friends and family and access new telehealth services online. Australia is a uniquely vast country, making online connections increasingly critical. ”
“We have teamed up with our delivery partners and now have a field force of over 600 trained technicians ready to connect homes around the country.
“It will take some time to get all eligible premises connected due to the sheer size of our 7.69 million km2 country, so we ask for patience as our teams travel around to install the service.”
Mr Simon said that the launch of the Sky Muster satellite service is all part of nbn’s goal of connecting eight million homes and businesses to fast broadband access by 2020.
“This is a proud day for us as it’s an important delivery milestone for nbn and rural Australia, and we are being recognised for our dedicated approach to remote households offering up to four times faster speeds and three to six times more data than existing consumer satellite services offering great value for end users,” Mr Simon said.
In a new report commissioned by nbn, Satellite Broadband: A Global Comparison, telecoms research firm Ovum found that when measured in terms of data allowance, download speed, upload speed and affordability that selected plans on the nbn Sky Muster service are world leading for satellite broadband services.
Ovum examined eighteen retail service providers internationally that offer satellite broadband services and found that selected plans based on nbn’s Sky Muster service delivered outstanding results across all service requirements, establishing itself as a world leader that will deliver a great service for regional and remote Australians.
The report said that on a performance basis, the plans reviewed by Ovum which were based on nbn’s satellite broadband service were equal to the world’s best in terms of download speed and peak monthly data allowance
Regional Australia Institute (RAI) CEO Jack Archer welcomed the launch of the Sky Muster service.
“Many of the places Sky Muster will connect to have virtually no access to broadband right now. To go from nothing to a high speed service will be a game changer for these places and the people that live there,” Mr Archer said.
“We expect to see schools, health services, business and individuals across regional and remote Australia prosper as a result of this new service.”