[Sydney, AUSTRALIA] Austar
United Communications and ADC plan to deploy
a MMDS broadband wireless system with two-way transmission facilities that
will provide high-speed Internet and telephony services to 60 Australian
towns and cities. Initial deployment of the system is planned for late 2000
with a commercial launch planned for the first quarter of 2001.
Until now, satellite Internet access in Australia has provided a broadband
downlink, with a narrowband uplink, tying up the customer’s phone line for
the return path. Equipment supplied by ADC, including radio frequency data
headends and customer premises equipment for subscribers, will enable
customers of Austar’s service to both upload and download data and voice at
high speeds, supporting VoIP telephony services.
The ADC equipment will use the 2.3 – 2.4 GHz band currently employed by
Austar for analog pay TV and the one-way, broadband Internet service,
chello. An IP backbone infrastructure will be supplied by Austar’s other
partner, Cisco Systems.
“Austar is committed to the goal of bringing advanced data and voice
services to millions of Australians who are underserved by existing
infrastructure,” said Dana Strong, managing director of AUSTAR United
Broadband. “This technology will enable us to overcome the restrictions of
the copper network,” she added.