The NBN Co said that it has picked a site for the satellite ground station in New South Wales which will be 9 kilometers from the mining city of Broken Hill. According to Matt Dawson, the Program Director for Satellites of the broadband project, the new location will deliver high-speed Internet on satellite service across the outback including distant communities in Yanco Glen and Menindee.
There will be ten satellite ground stations to be built next year to support the long-term satellite service. The facilities will be uplinking to two ka band satellites also under construction, and slated for a 2015 launch. NBN Co has already awarded contracts to Perkins Pty Ltd, and Cockram Corporation for the construction of the other ground stations spread across Australia. The total worth of the contract is around $180 million.
Broken Hill will also be connected to the fibre network of the broadband project, while the satellite ground stations will serve as the point of transmission and integration between the satellite service, and the terrestrial networks. NBN hopes the long-term internet on satellite services will cover remote regions of Australia cut-off from both fixed-wireless and fibre networks.
