Community leaders endorse broadband benefits as Bacchus Marsh connects

Local business owner urges people to sign up to superfast broadband

The local Bacchus Marsh community and civic leaders today joined forces to formally mark the connection of the town to the National Broadband Network and endorse the benefits superfast broadband will bring to the Moorabool Shire.

More than 200 premises are now able to connect to the NBN in Bacchus Marsh which makes it the first regional area in Victoria to join the fibre network. Nearly 1800 more homes and businesses will have access to the network in the coming months. 

Currently four service providers are ready to sign up premise to the NBN, with prices and packages comparable to existing plans but with faster speeds and greater capacity*. They are: Telstra, Spintel, Exetel and Optus, with more expected to join soon.

Pat Toohey, Mayor of Moorobool Shire, welcomed the opportunities the NBN would bring to people who live and work in the region.

"Moorabool Shire and the businesses and residents of Bacchus Marsh have been anticipating this day for many months. We look forward to the benefits the roll out will bring to those in the communities that are connected," Mr Toohey said.

Local business owner, Malcolm Trask has already prepared his printing and uniform business for when the NBN is connected in the main street.

"The NBN is going to give us reliable internet which will increase our productivity and efficiency allowing me to continue to expand my business," Mr Trask said.

"Rural and regional areas are the most in need of better internet. The NBN will provide that and allow local businesses to stay in Bacchus and to grow and flourish," he said.

The fibre optic broadband network will replace the copper telephone lines across Australia over the next eight-and-half years.

Key benefits include enabling people to work from home as they would at the office; getting the whole family online at once; access to high-definition health services online; and being able to stream TV without stuttering and buffering.

Work has commenced rolling out the NBN to a total of 6,500 premises in Bacchus Marsh. In addition to this local work NBN construction has commenced  in regional centres such as Ballarat, Creswick, and Melton, and is due to start in Geelong, Horsham, Shepparton, and Traralgon in coming months.

Construction is planned to have commenced or be completed for more than 690,000 homes and businesses across Victoria- and 3.5 million, or a third of the nation's premises - by mid-2015.

MEDIA INQUIRIES:       

Nichola Parker
Mobile 0427 173 025

* Your experience depends on some factors outside our control, like your equipment quality, software, broadband plans and how your service provider designs its network.

We're designing the NBN to provide these speeds to our wholesale customers, telephone and internet service providers. Your experience depends on some factors outside our control, like your equipment quality, software, broadband plans and how your service provider designs its network.

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