Australians who live and run businesses in regional areas, which are connected to nbn™ Sky Muster™ satellite services, are now able to enjoy increased maximum monthly wholesale data, thanks to nbn’s updated wholesale products.

Announced in June 2017, the increased wholesale data allowance is expected to increase average wholesale peak download limits by up to 50% on the Sky Muster™ satellite service.

The new wholesale limits continue nbn’s commitment to providing access to fast broadband for all Australian residents, not just those who live in major cities.

A world-leading satellite service

Increased data allowances for Australia’s 240,000 remotely-located homes and businesses are part of the reason research firm Ovum named the Sky Muster™ service as “world-leading”.

The UK based organisation recently found the scale of the nbn™ broadband access network and services dwarfs those on offer to people living outside of major cities in other countries.

Nations including Canada, France and Ireland have invested around $1,000 per household as part of their pledge to provide better access to the internet, while Australia’s financial commitment totals $7,000 per household.

What’s more, where the US networks only offer wholesale data speeds of 5Mbps to 10Mbps to remote internet users, nbn’s Sky Muster™ satellite service is capable of achieving wholesale speeds of up to 25Mbps.*

Bridging the digital divide

In previous years, Australians living outside of major hubs have had little to no access to the internet. nbn has been steadily closing the gap between urban and regional areas and is now working to improve on what has already been made available.

nbn’s Chief Executive Officer Bill Morrow is excited to share that RSPs have now started offering new plans that include more monthly data.

“Following the announcement of our new wholesale Sky Muster™ satellite service plans earlier in the year, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from retail customers, regional Australians and industry stakeholders,” says Mr Morrow, who advises customers to shop around to find the package that suits their needs.

These plans will make it easier to upload and download large files. Families and businesses alike will be able to spend more time video conferencing, streaming their favourite entertainment, and accessing the software they want and need.**

Ever-improving service

Fifteen months after launching Sky Muster™ satellite services, despite having reached world-leading status, nbn is still looking at ways to optimise wholesale pricing and data products.

“Our team is already beginning to investigate new enhancements on the service such as an education multicast product to help deliver long distance education,” says Mr Morrow.

An enterprise grade wholesale product is also being investigated to provide customer service support for regional businesses. nbn is building a network to support Australian homes and businesses, and is hitting its targets for completion by 2020.

* We’re designing the nbn™ broadband access network to provide these speeds to our wholesale customers, telephone and internet service providers. End user experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ access network, depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control like your equipment quality, software, broadband plans, signal reception and how the end user’s service provider designs its network. Satellite customers may experience latency.

** Your experience including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ broadband access network depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control like your equipment quality, software, broadband plans, signal reception and how your service provider designs its network. Satellite customers may experience latency.