nbn co to launch Sky Muster Plus service

nbn co has announced a series of planned improvements to its Sky Muster satellite service aimed at helping narrow the urban-rural digital divide.

The company will next year introduce a wholesale plan that will no longer count the use of essential internet service including email, general web browsing and key software updates against monthly data allowances.

Satellite users will no longer have these services shaped when they have exceeded their monthly allowance, but other traffic including video and online gaming will continue to be affected.

The Sky Muster Plus plan will also introduce the ability to burst above the 25 Mbps wholesale speed when applications and network support allows.

nbn co allocated an additional $800 million to improve the capacity of the fixed wireless component of the network.

Last year, the company doubled the maximum wholesale data limits on Sky Muster satellite services from 150 to 300 GB per month and increased the average peak data allowance that retail providers can offer by 50% from 30 to 45 GB.

“The launch of our Sky Muster Plus product is another demonstration of our unwavering commitment to regional and rural Australians living in some of the most far-flung regions of our vast outback,” nbn co CEO Stephen Rue said.

“Our Sky Muster satellite service is an essential part of the nbn rollout that not only helps to provide homes and businesses with access to fast broadband services, but also the tools to help unlock social and economic prosperity in all our regions.”

Rue said its recent research indicates that the nbn helped generate an additional $450 million in GDP in regional Australia last year, and this is forecast to grow to $5.3 billion by FY21.

Meanwhile, Australia is currently in the bottom 10 of the 36 OECD member nations in terms of internet equality, but the research predicts that the nbn rollout will propel Australia into the top 10.

“We have been listening to feedback from consumers and industry on what we can do to improve customer experience on the nbn Sky Muster network. The new Sky Muster Plus product is designed to give regional and rural Australians peace of mind knowing that essential internet services, like emailing loved ones or accessing internet banking, should not slow down if their monthly data limit has been exceeded,” Rue added.

“Our team is also continuing to consult with industry on a number of additional wholesale product updates on the Sky Muster satellite service, including a regional enterprise service as well as additional applications to enable remote telehealth and distance education.”

Image courtesy nbn co.

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