The National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) has awarded a contract to Biarri, a commercial mathematics company, to supply network design optimisation software to support development of efficient, lower cost network construction plans.

 

Chief Technology Officer at NBN Co, Gary McLaren, said that the Australian Government's plan for the NBN presents a unique network design challenge in terms of scale, complexity and technical approach. Biarri is an Australian commercial mathematics company that has developed a Network Design Optimisation Engine which is being applied to the NBN.

 

"Biarri has already demonstrated the engine's capability and benefits on projects for NBN Co. It quickly generates low-cost fibre network designs based on the requirements of the reference architecture. It can determine optimal fibre area boundaries, the position of fibre hubs, and the layout and route of distribution and local fibre,” Mr McLaren said.

 

"Based on modelling that NBN Co and Biarri have undertaken in the First Release Sites, it is possible that the optimisation algorithms could save substantial costs in both design and construction.

 

Joe Forbes, Co-founder and Director of Biarri, said that the Network Design Optimisation Engine incorporates a unique arrangement of mathematical techniques and engines.

 

"Integer programming approaches underlie a number of the engines and they incorporate algorithms to handle the complexity arising from the size of the network, reference architecture rules and need to re-use existing infrastructure," Mr Forbes said.

 

The initial purchase order for the service is $6.5 million, with the potential to extend over 8 years.