Sky Muster™ set to boost broadband services for kids in regional Queensland

nbn is helping Queensland’s most remotely located students by providing them with access to wholesale broadband packages that will deliver additional internet capacity and fast downloads speeds for education learning purposes.
 

Set to be a game changer for children studying via distance education at home or from remotely located schools, the nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite Education Service will provide eligible remote school students and schools, with an additional capacity boost on top of their current service allowance.
 

Eligible school students and schools will be provided with access to an additional capacity boost of 50Gb and 150Gb respectively on top of their current service allowance as part of the Sky Muster™ Satellite Education service.
 

The service aims to help rural students access online education tools such as video conferencing to visually interact with teachers, fellow students and other experts from all over the world.
 

Julia Dickinson, nbn’s Satellite Architect said:

“The Sky Muster™ Satellite Education Service will provide an opportunity to revolutionise the way children located in remote parts of Australia learn. Giving these children and schools access to fast broadband will allow them greater opportunities to expand their knowledge and improve how lessons are delivered.
 

“Providing dedicated capacity in addition to their current service will play a critical role in ensuring kids in the bush don’t get left behind. As a nation, our greatest asset is our people and it is extremely important to ensure the country’s youngest minds are able to harness the latest technologies, regardless of where they live.”
 

Wendy Hick, Federal President of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association said:

“The Sky Muster™ Satellite distance education service will transform how children in the bush learn by opening up a world of previously untapped resources. The connectivity boost means early childhood learners to students in year 12 living outside the cities will now be able to interact with teachers across the country via tools such as video conferencing and rapidly develop STEM learning skills through interactive, online programs.”
 

nbn is scheduled to launch its second satellite in early October with the Sky Muster™ satellite service set to provide access to fast broadband for around 400,000 homes, business, schools and farms in regional and rural Australia. The world leading Sky Muster™ satellite services will help revolutionise tele-health, distance education and increase business productivity. 
 

To determine your child’s eligibility to access the Sky Muster ™ Satellite education service, please contact your local Department of Education.

Media contact

Gina Murphy	nbn™ Media Hotline
Phone: 0438 416 209	Phone: 02 9927 4200
Email: ginamurphy@nbnco.com.au	Email: media@nbnco.com.au

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Notes to editors

• nbn is building a new and upgraded, fast wholesale broadband network to enable communities across Australia to access fast broadband. Our goal is to connect eight million homes and businesses by 2020.
• The nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite service is available to more than 400,000 premises and 250,000 homes and businesses are expected to connect to the service via their Retail Service Provider (RSP).
• The nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite service is designed to deliver wholesale broadband speeds of up to 25 Mbps download and up to 5 Mbps upload to Retail Service Providers.
• The nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite Distance Education Service is currently available in Queensland to premises with school-aged students (K-12) who would utilise the service as their primary means of studying remotely, as verified by an Education Department, or a school recognised by an Education Department. To find out more about the services available in other states contact your Department of Education or contact your local Retail Service Provider.
• End user experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ network, depends on the technology over which services are delivered to the end user premises and some factors outside nbn’s control like equipment quality, software, broadband plans, signal reception and how the end user’s service provider designs its network.