NBN satellite to service urban areas of Australia
Sky Muster utilised in city suburbs, not just regional areas.
Thousands of homes in purported "urban" areas of Australia will need to use the nbn's Sky Muster satellite service if they wish to connect to the national network, according to new data.
As part of a recent NBN rollout update released by the Department of Communications and the Arts, a revealing set of data shows more than 4,000 premises located in "urban" electorates are "eligible" for the network's Sky Muster satellite hookup, IT News reports.
While these 4,013 "urban" homes may only represent a very small proportion of total Sky Muster clients, it's an interesting twist, considering Sky Muster was designed to serve premises in some of Australia's most remote and isolated regions.
The rollout update shows Perth's urban electorates (1,416) have the highest eligible number of premises available to receive Sky Muster, followed by Melbourne (746) and Sydney (548).
Brisbane (444), Canberra (357), Adelaide (292), Hobart (176) and Darwin (34) have fewer conscriptions.
| Urban area | Premises |
|---|---|
| Perth | 1,416 |
| Melbourne | 746 |
| Sydney | 548 |
| Brisbane | 444 |
| Canberra | 357 |
| Adelaide | 292 |
| Hobart | 176 |
| Darwin | 34 |
Sydney's urban electorate includes the tiny, World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island, situated approximately 600km northeast of Sydney, which shines some light on why certain communities in these so-called "urban" areas are receiving Sky Muster hookups, rather than fixed line connections.
"Unfortunately there will be a small number of properties in urban areas where providing a fixed or fixed wireless connection will require significant expenditure and take a long time," an nbn spokesperson said.
"On these occasions we will provide these premises with an NBN satellite service."
nbn launched its first satellite in October 2015 and then Sky Muster II during the same month last year.
By mid-2018, nbn estimates almost 50% of the 11.9 million planned premises will have network access.
You can check out all the NBN options at your address with finder's innovative NBN Tracker.
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