THE state government has announced a $1.7 million project to provide Horsham homes and businesses with the same high-speed internet services as those in Melbourne.
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The government has partnered with Spirit Telecom, which will give those in the city access to the latest wireless infrastructure. The service will provide symmetrical gigabit broadband, with speeds up to one gigabit a second.
Symmetrical internet connections have the same download and upload speeds.
Horsham, Morwell and north Geelong were selected for the program, which aims to trial solutions to improve broadband for regional Victorian businesses.
At the time, the government released a Request for Proposal to the market to find a supplier to lead the Horsham project.
Victorian Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said the new Spirit Telecom service would be 10 times faster than what was currently available.
The fixed-wireless service will cover all of Horsham including the central business district and industrial estate, plus the city’s aerodrome and Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal.
Ms Pulford said there was also potential for the new network to provide high-speed broadband to homes and businesses outside these areas, such as at Haven, Dooen and Longerenong.
She said Spirit Telecom service prices for businesses would be cheaper than current business-grade broadband services in regional Victoria, and competitive with prices in Melbourne.
Ms Pulford said residential plans were likely to offer better value for money than other offers.
Spirit Telecom will build and maintain the new network. Construction is due to be completed by the end of next year, but limited services could be available from mid-2019.
Horsham Rural City Council chief executive Sunil Bhalla welcomed the investment.
“The great thing is that it will mean better access for our existing businesses and agriculture,” he said.
“It will allow high-quality video conferencing and other emerging high bandwidth applications, making it easier to work remotely.
“It also means Horsham will become even more attractive for businesses looking to relocate or start up in regional centres.
“Residents can also choose to sign up to the new plans, and they will enjoy internet speeds that bridge the digital divide between metro and regional areas.”
