Telstra to trial FTTP in Seaside Fern Bay Village
By the end of this year, residents of Seaside Fern Bay estate will have access to some of the
fastest residential internet services in the world. Telstra is set to switch-on its first fibre-to-thepremises
(FTTP) network upgrade in NSW in an existing estate already supplied by copper, by
the end of 2010.
The copper to fibre upgrade, only the second conducted by Telstra in Australia, will mean up to
1,000 residential customers living in the estate will have access to broadband speeds of up to
100 Mbps* for sharing among multiple users and devices within the household. These speeds
are so fast that they exceed the capabilities of many content servers and individual computers.
In addition to providing high speed broadband, Telstra’s fibre Velocity® network will deliver
digital free-to-air TV, FOXTEL from Telstra and multiple HomeLine services all from one cable,
with no need for rooftop antennas or dishes.
Telstra’s Chief Executive Officer, David Thodey, who inspected the estate on a visit to the
Hunter today, said Telstra was excited to launch the first agreement of this type in NSW, in an
area experiencing high broadband growth.
“We’ve worked with the Seaside Fern Bay residents and the estate developer Aspen Living for a
number of years and we understand that reliable FOXTEL, digital free-to-air TV and high speed
broadband access and telephony is a priority for residents,” Mr Thodey said.
“It’s pleasing that by the end of this year we will be able to deliver top-of-the-line broadband
technology to residents in Seaside Fern Bay,” Mr Thodey said.
Developer of Seaside Fern Bay, Aspen Living, said the Telstra Velocity Agreement represents a
great opportunity for buyers looking to live in a state-of-the-art community.
“Telstra Velocity future proofs our development for years to come,” said Aspen’s chief executive
officer Chris Lewis.
“Home owners will be provided with certainty of connection to services and will have access to
high speed broadband, digital free to air TV and multiple fixed line services. It represents a high
level of ease for residents and great opportunity for those wishing to work from home.”
The upgraded download capacity is ideal for sharing among multiple broadband activities at the
same time, such as internet use, playing games online or downloading movies. With fibre-optic
broadband, residents and businesses can expect to:
- start watching a high-definition BigPond® movie faster than going to the video store;
- use video-conferencing with clients and suppliers to save time and money on travel;
- upload 100 photos (32MB) to Facebook in under two minutes; or
- download a game (835MB) to their Xbox in under five minutes.
“This agreement positions the Hunter region as at the forefront of FTTP deployment in
Australia”, Telstra Area General Manager Hunter Central Coast Chris Cusack said.
“It will put Seaside Fern Bay residents on the same or better stage as people living in capital
cities.”
“Seaside Fern Bay Estate residents will be able to enjoy the benefits of living in a regional
coastal town like Port Stephens while still being able to quickly connect through high speed
broadband with the rest of the world” said Mr Cusack.
Mr Lewis said that all Aspen Living residential developments are master planned with a
community-focus and are completed to a high standard.
“Seaside Fern Bay is set to be one of the largest master planned communities in the Newcastle
region, and Telstra and its services ensure it is one of the most liveable communities too
Download PDF: Telstra Velocity at Seaside Fern Bay