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 brandpost Sponsored by FPT Software Time for New Partnership Paradigms to Be Future-fit By Veronica Lew Dec 06, 2023 5 mins Vendors and Providers brandpost Sponsored by BMC Why CIOs should prioritize AIOps in 2024 AIOps empowers IT to manage services by incorporating AI/ML into operations. By Jeff Miller Dec 06, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership opinion Generative AI in enterprises: LLM orchestration holds the key to success In the dynamic landscape of AI, LLMs represent a pivotal breakthrough. Unlike traditional AI, which demands frequent data updates, LLMs possess the ability to learn and adapt in real-time. This mirrors human learning and positions LLMs as essential f By Shail Khiyara Dec 06, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks How gen AI is joining the holiday shopping season One year after the launch of ChatGPT, the retail industry is embracing generative AI to deliver a variety of benefits By Elliot Markowitz Dec 06, 2023 4 mins Generative AI 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