New Satellite Support Scheme to provide up to an additional 9,000 Australian businesses and households with broadband services

Thaicom today announced that the NBN Co has selected its wholly owned subsidiary, IPSTAR Australia (IPA), for a new initiative to boost the number of broadband connections for Australians who cannot access an existing commercial broadband service. Under the NBN Co Satellite Support (NSS) Scheme, IPA is appointed an official wholesaler and will deliver the scheme together with participating Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia.

NBN Co Chief Customer Officer, John Simon, said: “Bringing broadband to the most remote communities across Australia is one of NBN Co’s highest priorities. It gives residents access to e-health, distance education and Internet banking, while businesses can benefit from increased productivity, reduced costs and access to new markets. With high demand for broadband in regional areas, this initiative is essential to providing a reliable service to families and businesses that cannot access a commercial broadband service today.”

Patompob Suwansiri, Chief Marketing Officer, Thaicom, added: “We are honored NBN Co has appointed IPSTAR as the wholesaler for the NBN Co Satellite Support Scheme. Since 2005 we have delivered satellite Internet services via the IPSTAR satellite to Australia’s remote communities that otherwise could not have accessed a commercial broadband service. I am proud IPSTAR continues to make a difference in the life of many Australian’s and the country’s education, farming, and health sectors.”

According to NBN Co, the NSS Scheme will connect up to 9,000 additional premises in remote and regional mainland Australia and Tasmania, until NBN Co’s Long Term Satellite Service (LTSS) will be launched in late 2015. The NSS is exclusively available for users who are unable to access a commercial broadband service.

Premises eligible for the NSS must be within line of sight of the IPSTAR broadband satellite, and have never been subscribed to a service via the Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) or the Interim Satellite Service (ISS). The NSS Scheme is designed to deliver wholesale speeds of up to 4 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. IPSTAR will provide Internet Service Providers with a minimum download performance equivalent to 2.6 Mbps for 20.4 hours per day.