NBN Co has signed contracts with two companies worth $180 million to build 10 satellite ground stations around Australia.
The contracts have been awarded to Perkins (WA) to build four satellite ground stations in Western Australia and to Cockram Corporation to build six satellite ground stations situated in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.
Construction on the buildings will begin early next year and be competed in 2014.
So far the locations for eight satellite ground stations have been announced, including:
• Moonyoonooka, Brown Range and Binduli in WA
• Bourke, and Woolooma (near Merimbula) in NSW
• Geeveston in Tasmania
• Ceduna in South Australia
• Roma in Queensland
In Roma, the one-storey facility will include two 13.5m wide satellite dishes on Kimbler Road in Roma, which is around 475km north-west of Brisbane, and is expected to be operational by 2015.
In Bourke, the satellite ground station will comprise a one-storey building with up to three 13m diameter satellite dishes.
In Geeveston, the ground station will be an essential transmission station to deliver the NBN to premises around Tasmania, including Port Davey, Strathgordon and Cradle Mountain, with the location chosen after consultation with Huon Valley Council and NBN Co.
Meanwhile, in Ceduna, the facility will provide the NBN to towns such as Chinta, Koonibba, Athenna and Goode in South Australia.
The satellite ground stations are being built for the NBN’s Long Term Satellite Service, which will provide wholesale speeds of up to 12Mbps and will eventually replace the NBN's current 6Mbps Interim Satellite Service.
NBN Co’s Long Term Satellite Service that will deliver the NBN to around 200,000 premises in rural and remote areas of Australia.
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