Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy has welcomed the launching of ADSL2+ services to South Australia’s Victor Harbor, saying that it is the first step to promoting better services to regional South Australia.

 

"The delivery of new ADSL2+ broadband services is fantastic news for residents of Victor Harbor, Strathalbyn and Goolwa, and represents a substantial improvement to the ADSL1 services previously on offer," Senator Conroy said.

 

Senator Conroy has said that the expansion of the services will allow smaller Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to compete with larger, more established ISPs such as Optus and Telstra.

 

"This new infrastructure allows internet services providers, such as Internode, to expand their services into many regional parts of South Australia, including Victor Harbor. It means faster, cheaper and more competitive broadband for families and small businesses along this fibre route.

 

"Internode’s new, entry-level service delivers speeds that are up to 200 per cent faster, with six times the download allowance, and costs 25 per cent per month less than Internode’s previous entry-level product. And these new services are capable of supporting exciting new applications such as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television)."

 

The move to expand services in regional South Australia forms part of the Federal Government’s $250 ‘Regional Blackspots Program’ which aims to deliver 6,000 kilometers of ‘competitve fibre backbone’ across regional Australia with an aim to supply services to 400,000 people.

 

According to Senator Conroy, the Victor Harbor link will provide ‘service ready access points’ to Victor Harbor, Old Noarlunga and the regional communities of Goolwa, Strathalbyn, Port Elliot, Willunga, McLaren Vale, and Mount Barker. The Government estimates that nearly 27,000 people will have access to new services after the completion of the link.