NBN Co today welcomed Telstra as a retail service provider on its high-speed broadband network.

Telstra announced it has signed with NBN Tasmania - a subsidiary of NBN Co - and is undertaking network testing prior to a customer trial.

NBN Tasmania Executive Chairman, Doug Campbell, said the move by Telstra indicates the growing importance of the Tasmanian stage one rollout.

"Not only is the NBN in Tasmania providing people in three communities with the first taste of the NBN, it is giving retail service providers the opportunity to prove the integration of their services onto the new network. They are also gaining valuable experience in the types of service plans that are attractive to customers using the impressive capabilities of the new network," Mr Campbell said

The NBN in Tasmania is currently operating in the communities of Midway Point, Smithton and Scottsdale. The Telstra announcement brings to five the number of RSPs who have signed up to the NBN, the others being iiNet, Primus, Internode and Exetel.

"The growth in competition on the network should also prove beneficial for end-users in terms of innovation, service differentiation and price," Mr Campbell said.

The network in Tasmania was officially launched on 12 August and work is underway progressively activating hundreds of service orders received to date.

More than 200 kilometres of optic fibre have been laid as part of this stage of the rollout, and over 200 people were employed during the project. Over half of the home-owners/occupiers in the three towns consented to a fibre connection from the street to their premises during the rollout to make them "NBN-ready". Those who didn't take an initial line can still order their service via an RSP taking advantage of a range of offers currently available.

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Rhonda Griffin
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