NBN Co expands business satellite service

NBN Co has announced plans to expand its business satellite service (BSS) to cover the full Australian mainland and surrounding islands.

The network provider aims to help retail service providers (RSPs) deliver business-grade internet services to businesses with hard to reach remote operations.

The expansion is scheduled for 29 July 2021, where the satellite beam coverage will increase from 93 percent to 100 percent to include more east coast areas, the west coast of Tasmania and large surrounding islands such as Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

NBN Co will also reduce the wholesale price of the BSS Access Bandwidth Service (ABS) Layer 3 dedicated bandwidth product by 40 percent, particularly for RSPs with extended contract terms with NBN Co.

Standard installations of ABS Layer 3 and the BSS Virtual ISP (VISP) solution will be provided for free over the next six months starting 1 April 2021.

“At NBN Co, 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,” NBN Co chief development officer of regional and remote Gavin Williams said.

“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 the continent and we look forward to delivering new capabilities to further improve the service in the future.”

Rural broadband advocacy group Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR) weighed in on the announcement, with founder Kristy Sparrow including a statement to NBN Co’s announcement.

“We are delighted that businesses across the Australian mainland will not go without access to business-grade services due to the expanded coverage provided by the business NBN satellite service,” Sparrow said.

“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.”