nbn satellite vehicle starts road tour in Tasmania

Tasmania’s own nbn Sky Muster™ satellite vehicle is hitting the road from this September on a tour of regional Tasmania that will run into the New Year.

The Road Muster tour will visit rural hubs such as Dunalley, Nubeena, Swansea, Coles Bay, Campbell Town, Oatlands, Ouse, Waratah, Marrawah, Waratah, Arthur River among many others and include visits to both Flinders Island and King Island.

The custom-made vehicle is designed to demonstrate fast nbn broadband to regional communities.

It features a rooftop satellite dish that can lock onto the nbn Sky Muster^TM satellite and then demonstrate fast broadband in locations that currently have slower internet.

The satellite signal is able to be shared via a local wifi hotspot so that local people can take fast broadband for a spin.

The first areas visited will be Bruny Island (13-15 September), the Tasman Peninsula (21-22 September) followed by Flinders Island (10-19 October).

Tasmanian Corporate Affairs Manager Russell Kelly said Tasmanians could expect to see Road Muster travelling around remote and regional areas of Tasmania over coming months and into 2017. 

“The best way to demonstrate fast nbn broadband is to take it to people who may not have had a chance to see fast broadband in action. 

“In some cases we are taking the Road Muster vehicle to hub towns that may have good nbn services via fixed wireless – but often surrounding areas will be satellite areas.

“The early feedback we have received has been phenomenal – Tasmanians living in remote areas are going to be pleasantly surprised at how fast and convenient a satellite nbn service can be.”

The vehicle is one of six nbn satellite vehicles deployed across Australia to demonstrate the service and is capable of setting up in remote locations.

Owen Tilbury, of the community-led partnership Connected Launceston, said:

“Launceston is now one of the most connected regions in Australia, and it’s future is as a hub for Northern Tasmania.

“There is already excellent nbn connectivity in Launceston – the next step is to link with all the ingenuity and innovation possible in the region.

“Getting faster internet speeds to the most remote parts of the State is now a key driver in making that happen.”

Tasmanians can expect to see Road Muster travelling around remote and regional areas of Tasmania over coming months and into 2017. 

The converted four-wheel drive Ford features a carbon-fibre satellite dish capable of finding and transmitting broadband from a Sky Muster™ signal anywhere in Australia. It is equipped with two large touch-screen computers, carries its own power source and is designed for rugged terrain.

Sky Muster™ is designed to deliver wholesale speeds of up to 25Mbps download/5Mbps upload* and data allowances of up to 150GB per month. Internet service providers will provide retail plans at different price points and data allowances, so eligible residents and businesses can choose a plan that best suits their needs.

Launched in April, the Sky Muster™ service is designed to provide access to fast broadband to around 400,000 premises across the country – with more than 17,000 of those in Tasmania. A second Sky Muster™ satellite is set to be launched in October 2016.

The Tasmanian Road Muster itinerary is located at http://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/events/tas-sky-muster-roadshow.html

For more information or to find out if you are eligible to connect to a Sky Muster™ service, visit: http://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/information-for-home/satellite.html

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*We’re designing the nbn™ network to provide these speeds to our wholesale customers, telephone and internet service providers. End user experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ network, depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control like equipment quality, software, signal reception, broadband plans and how the end user’s service provider designs its network.