2-way Satellite Internet Offer for Australia Remote Areas

16 August, 2002

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, today welcomed the latest round of the Telstra BigPond Broadband 2-way Satellite Internet service offer to residents in a further eight extended call zones.

Households and businesses in these remote areas are eligible for the service, provided they have an existing--or ordered--telephone number in the identified call zones (attached).

Free satellite equipment and installation is also available if the order is placed before
13 September 2002, and a special offer on an IBM computer upgrade is available for customers who order before 23 August 2002.

The Telstra BigPond 2-way Satellite Internet service will provide faster access to the Internet, free up the telephone line and eliminate the need to 'dial-up' for a connection each time the Internet is needed.

The Satellite Internet service is an exciting development, which will provide residents in remote areas with an Internet service that is always available when the computer is turned on, at prices broadly comparable with metropolitan areas.

The initiative is part of the Commonwealth Government's $150 million untimed local calls project. The tender, funded from the proceeds of the partial sale of Telstra, will upgrade about 40,000 services in the remote extended zones of Australia.

Telstra was selected by the Government through a competitive tender process to provide these services, but the offer is open to all telecommunications users in the extended zone--not just existing Telstra customers.

All residents and businesses in the extended zones are encouraged to take advantage of the new services.