The expanded NBN BSS beam coverage now takes the percentage of eligible Australian businesses from 93 to 100%, with access expanded across the east coast of the Australian mainland, the west coast of Tasmania and large surrounding islands such as Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
Along with enhanced coverage, NBN says it has reduced wholesale pricing by approximately 40% for the BSS Access Bandwidth Service (ABS) Layer 3 committed bandwidth product for internet retailers, including where they engage in extended contract terms with NBN to help meet the needs of their customers over longer time periods.
NBN says the ABS Layer 3 service delivers wholesale speeds of up to 50/13 Mbps to provide the core connectivity for critical applications required by many medium and large businesses, enterprises and government organisations.
Since April this year most standard satellite installations have been provided at no cost to internet retailers for businesses that take up the ABS Layer 3 and the BSS Virtual ISP (VISP) solution for a 12-month minimum contract. BSS VISP is designed for core business needs by providing wholesale speeds of up to 30/13 Mbps, said NBN.
NBN says, eligible industrial and government organisations with remote facilities and worksite operations are increasingly relying on satellite broadband to support a range of IoT, safety, cloud services and critical applications. The BSS beam coverage expansion will help retailers to provide a range of business-grade satellite solutions with a range of options such as committed bandwidth and enhanced service levels.
NBN Co chief development officer of regional and remote Gavin Williams said, “At NBN, we recognise that connectivity is vital for businesses to drive innovation, productivity and growth. With this knowledge we have dedicated ourselves to expand the availability of wholesale business-grade services across the continent.
“Whether to connect remote health facilities, mining operations or large-scale agriculture, these enhancements help make the business NBN satellite service more accessible for eligible businesses and government organisations even in the most remote parts of continent and we look forward to delivering new capabilities to further improve the service in the future.
Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR) founder Kristy Sparrow said, “We are delighted that businesses across the Australian mainland now have access to business-grade services with the expanded coverage provide by the business NBN satellite service.
"The reduced wholesale prices and no installation fee for selected products, along with the improved accessibility to business-grade services will help remote businesses succeed.”
For further information on how to access these new products and services, businesses are advised to talk to their retail service providers.
