The first fibre optic backbone link for the NBN on mainland Australia has been laid at Mount Isa. The link, part of the $250m NBN Regional Backbone Blackspot Program, will run from Darwin, through central and south east Queensland to Toowoomba. According to communications minister Stephen Conroy, one of the biggest obstacles to rolling out high-speed broadband in Mount Isa had been the lack of competitive fibre optic backbone services. “Once complete, this link will allow other broadband providers to enter the market and offer faster broadband speeds, cheaper prices and more choice for people and businesses across the region,” he said in a statement. According to the Federal Government, Mount Isa is the midway point along the 3,835km route from Darwin to Toowoomba, and the longest of the five regional backbone links to be constructed under the Blackspot program. Conroy said construction of the Darwin, Mount Isa, Emerald and Longreach link by Leighton Holdings-owned Nextgen Networks would take around 18 months. Related content news Salesforce CEO Benioff shakes up executive team with new hires Six months after the company lost its co-CEO and announced it was laying off 10% of its global workforce, Salesforce’s top team is undergoing a major personnel change. By Charlotte Trueman Jun 07, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Enterprise Applications opinion Cisco debuts bold portfolio of network, security, and observability solutions and previews generative AI capabilities for Webex and Security Cloud Cisco’s innovative technologies help connect the dots of its network- and cloud-based ecosystem. By Pete Bartolik Jun 07, 2023 4 mins Cloud Security brandpost Help wanted: IT tools and talent for building a multicloud estate Like all trade workers, IT leaders need the right tools and skills to succeed in a multicloud world characterized by application and data sprawl. By Chad Dunn, Vice President, Product Management, Dell APEX Jun 07, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud brandpost A guide to hybrid cloud deployment for innovation without disruption How do organizations balance their on-premises preferences and requisites with the crucial need to innovate? By Ahmed Helmy, Global Vice President, Avaya Experience Platform Product Management Jun 07, 2023 3 mins Hybrid Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe