Internode first ISP to cross Bass Strait with Basslink
As well as virtually halving the data backhaul cost across Bass Strait, the Basslink service increases Internode's data capacity to Tasmania by more than 150 per cent. It also provides greater certainty of uninterrupted services for Tasmanian customers by creating an additional redundant data path.
The Basslink service launch follows Internode's announcement that its $10 million national network expansion will deliver a 500 per cent increase to its direct presence in Tasmania. This accelerated investment program will see Internode install its own DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) equipment at an additional 10 telephone exchanges in Tasmania - five times more than Internode's current Tasmanian footprint of two exchanges.
Internode managing director Simon Hackett said Basslink's extra capacity and lower prices would allow Internode to compete more aggressively for business in Tasmania. "As well as virtually halving the cost of data backhaul across Bass Strait, Basslink allows us to exploit economies of scale," he said.
"The competitive pressure that Basslink places on data backhaul services across Bass Strait guarantees that Internode's Tasmanian customers can continue to enjoy the same level of broadband performance and range of services that our customers get in the rest of the country."
Internode has signed a three-year contract with Basslink for an initial data capacity of 622 megabits per second. The company expects this to increase to more than one gigabit within the first year.