NBN Co unveils key operations and demonstration facilities

• Melbourne confirmed as NBN operational hub
• Facilities to showcase how Australians can benefit from better broadband

NBN Co today opened its $32.5m operations centre in Melbourne's Docklands.

The facility is the National Broadband Network's central hub, housing the facilities that will manage the day-to-day operations of the Australia-wide broadband service and enable telcos and ISPs to test the products and equipment they will make available as the NBN rolls out.

The company also unveiled two hands-on interactive resources - an experience centre at Docklands and a mobile demonstration vehicle - that will enable Australians to see for themselves how the NBN will work, what it involves and how communities stand to benefit as high speed broadband is delivered to every home and business.

The new facilities launched today are:

• Network Service and Operations Centre (NSOC) that enables NBN Co to monitor the network across the country, detect faults, manage orders and support the telephone and internet service providers that will sell broadband services to the public.

• National Test Facility (NTF) which will allow telephone and internet service providers to test new services before they are rolled out across the NBN. It will also be used to test NBN Co's new products such as the planned multicast capability that is being designed to give telephone and internet providers the ability to deliver high-quality video to support a new wave of services such as IPTV in high-definition.

• Discovery Centre, a hands-on interactive educational experience at Docklands. Visitors can learn about and experience for themselves the benefits of the NBN in an environment built to resemble the interior of a family home.

• NBN Co Demonstration Truck, a 23-tonne mobile interactive discovery centre that aims to bring the NBN experience to life. The NBN Co truck opens up to feature impressive outdoor displays while its interior has been fitted with high-definition screens, cameras and audio equipment that bring the NBN experience to life. Like the Discovery Centre it will feature practical displays showing the NBN equipment that Australians can expect to see in their homes and businesses. It is expected to visit more than 100 towns and cities across Australia over the next 12 months, starting next week in Tasmania.

NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley said:

"The facilities at Docklands are the nerve centre of the National Broadband Network and a hub for future innovation as we bring broadband to life across Australia.

"At the same time, we receive thousands of emails and calls each week from individuals, businesses and local councils asking when the NBN is coming to their area, and wanting to know how it works, what they can use it for, and how to get connected. The two demonstration facilities make it possible for people to experience for themselves some of the exciting applications in education, health and business that can be delivered over the NBN."

The facilities are the result of more than a year's work and NBN Co will have created more than 900 jobs in Victoria by the end of 2012.

It is estimated that up to 100,000 people a year will pass through the NBN Co truck and the Docklands Discovery Centre. Individuals and groups interested in visiting these facilities can book online at www.nbnco.com.au/demos.

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Rhonda Griffin
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