TPG to roll out high-speed network for 180 clinics

TPG Telecom will roll out a dedicated high-speed network to 180 clinics whose data needs are rapidly expanding.

TPG announced that it had signed a “multimillion-dollar” to significantly improve internet capacity at I-Med Network, a medical imaging clinic group that is represented in all states and territories except Western Australia.

The clinics will enjoy speeds of up to 10Gbps, with most locations achieving increases of 20-50 times in network bandwidth, according to TPG.

The rollout is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.

Medical images are becoming larger and more detailed as technology improves. Five years ago, mammograms were 80 megabytes; today they are nearly 5 gigabytes. I-Med has found it a challenge to transmit such large files, but will now be able to deliver them “almost instantly”, TPG said.

TPG’s general manager of enterprise and wholesale, Mark Rafferty, said the telco would demonstrate that it is technically possible and commercially viable to provide high-capacity network services nationwide, not just in metropolitan areas.

“We are very pleased to be working with I-Med in building a network that will provide the opportunity to drive new technology for the benefit of patients and doctors,” he said.

I-Med chief executive Steven Rubic said the clinics were looking forward to the technological benefits the increased bandwidth would deliver.

“Recent advances in equipment such as CT and MRI scanners as well as mammography machines allow us to capture images with increased detail,” he said.

“We will now be able to take full advantage of state-of-the-art 3D rendering applications, which provide our radiologists with incredible detail and new capabilities in image manipulation, ultimately improving diagnostic accuracy.”