Telstra to Roll Out High-speed ADSL Over Phone Network

Australian telecommunications giant Telstra has announced it will offer
faster Internet access with the roll-out of new Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology beginning this August.

ASDL, which is expected to deliver line speed of 30 to 50 times faster
than standard dial-up services, will initially be installed in over 200
national exchanges based in capital cities as well as Toowoomba, Launceston
and Bunbury.

Telstra data product general manager Denis Mullane said Telstra will
target the service at residential, small, medium, corporate and ISP
customers, providing high-speed Internet access to around 3.5 million
Australian premises.

“About 90 per cent of Australian households and businesses will have
access to Telstra’s high speed media and data services by mid-2002,” said
Mullane.

With ASDL, the increased speed will enable customers to make and receive
telephone calls while surfing the Web, and access and download CD quality
music, video clips and games. Business customers will be able to establish
high-speed links between premises, via Remote Network Access (RNA), Mullane
said.

Meanwhile, the network has confirmed it is in a stage of advanced
negotiations with KPMG Consulting for
the provision of an online service management capability.

The move forms part of Telstra’s data mode of operation (DMO),
established two years ago to forward Telstra’s push to become a full online
multimedia services provider.

Telstra’s chief executive officer Ziggy Switkowski said the capability
was needed to deliver a secure and personalized interface to manage many of
the products that will be carried by the core DMO network.

The new generation service management and capability will use up-to-date
computer concepts, including work-flow engines and pluggable applications.

“These capabilities are required to underpin the management of content
and online applications linked to telstra.com, as well as Telstra’s
directly offered services,” said Switkowski.

“Among many other applications, it will underpin the connection of ADSL
customers as part of Telstra’s initiative to broadband Australia,”
Switkowski said.

Switkowski said Telstra expected to sign an agreement with KPMG in the
next few weeks, with new service management capability available for use
later in the year.