[LINK] Optus media release

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Home > Stockmarket News > 6th Aug 2009

http://www.australianinvestor.com.au/news.asp?id=39427

[SGT] Optus Says Yes to New Regional Network - Owned by all Australians


The Optus group of companies have announced that they have lodged a 
number of bids in response to the Commonwealth Government’s request for 
tenders for the $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program.

These bids address all of the key locations specified by the Commonwealth 
in its request for tenders including Darwin, Emerald, Longreach, the 
South West Gippsland Coast, Victor Harbor and Geraldton.

The bids would see Optus build and operate the new backhaul network for a 
period of at least five years on behalf of the Government. 

The network itself would be owned by all Australians and bring the 
benefits of competitive backhaul services to up to 575,000 people in 
regional and rural Australia for the first time in Australia’s history.

--

Optus Media Release: 6 August 2009 

http://news.iguana2.com/ainvestor/ASX/SGT/559368
 
 
Optus says yes to new regional network  – owned by all Australians  

Optus is strongly supportive of the Australian Government's bold plans
for the National Broadband Network (NBN) and is ready to assist the
Government in achieving its vision. 

In particular, Optus views the recently announced $250 million Regional
Backbone Blackspots Program (RBBP) as a critical first step in enabling
the NBN build. 

Therefore the Optus group of companies are pleased to announce that they
have lodged a range of bids in response to the Commonwealth Government's
request for tenders (RFT) for the RBBP. 

The bids address all of the key locations specified by the Commonwealth
in its RFT including Darwin, Emerald, Longreach, the South West Gippsland
Coast, Victor Harbor and Geraldton. 

The bids would see Optus build and then operate the new backhaul network
for a period of at least five years on behalf of the Government.  The
network itself would be owned by all Australians, and bring the benefits
of competitive backhaul services (most notably, far more competition in
the retail telecommunications market) to up to 575,000 people in regional
and rural Australia for the first time in the nation's history. 

The bids are now open for consideration by the Government, and Optus
looks forward to the next stage in the process. 

"Optus is keen to lead the deployment of new competitive infrastructure
to residential and business customers in many parts of Australia that
have suffered from limited or no choice for far too long," Maha
Krishnapillai, Optus Director, Government and Corporate Affairs said. 

"Optus has extensive experience in building and operating carrier
backhaul infrastructure.  In addition, as an experienced wholesaler of
fibre optic links, Optus has the capability to provide capacity between
key interconnect points at the boundaries of the new network. 

"These credentials demonstrate Optus' proven backhaul track record and
our ability to build and operate the new network effectively," Mr
Krishnapillai said. 

Media contact: 
Melissa Favero 
Optus Corporate Affairs  
Tel: (02) 8082 7850 
Media Release
6 August 2009 
--

Cheers,
Stephen
(Std Disclaimer, $0 association)