Telstra sees rural Net services end-98
CANBERRA, May 28 (Reuters) - Telecommunications group Telstra Corp Ltd on Thursday launched its satellite strategy, saying it hoped it could now provide all regional customers with data and Internet services by the end of 1998.
Group managing director, network technology and multimedia, Gerry Moriarty said Telstra had selected U.S. communications equipment maker Scientific-Atlanta Inc (SFA - news) to provide telephony and dial-up data equipment.
A joint venture between Swedish telecoms group Ericsson (LMEb.ST) and Hughes Network Systems would supply Internet access technology, and Israel's Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd (GILTF - news) would supply corporate data networking technology.
Moriarty said the new satellite system was designed to take advantage of new affordable satellite delivery and would allow Telstra's rural and regional customers to access these services without having to invest in expensive access equipment.
''The result is that our customers will be able to surf the Internet from rural Australia with levels of throughput similar to the performance offered to city customers on ISDN links,'' Moriarty said at the launch of the plan.
Customer trials would begin soon and Telstra hoped to make specific announcements about the products and their exact pricing after the trials, he said.
''The falling cost of satellite as a delivery option means that Telstra now has the means to serve the bush with leading-edge communications solutions, in a way which makes sense commercially, as well as in terms of equity and access,''
Moriarty said.
''Looking ahead, combined universal service obligations and a plans to invest A$300 million in the next three years, Telstra anticipates investing around A$1 billion in country Australia in the current year,'' he said.
The Federal government's plan to sell the two-thirds of Telstra it still holds is facing opposition from people in regional Australia because they fear a fully-privatised Telstra would neglect services to, or push up charges in, remote areas of the continent. |
