Telstra to spend $24m to expand Pilbara network

Telstra has committed $24 million towards expanding its digital infrastructure in the Pilbara region, home to heavy industries and other companies which contribute around 3.1% of Australia’s GDP.

The company is expanding its digital infrastructure across the region of Western Australia with around 165 km of new fibre.

Telstra Enterprise Group Executive David Burns said the fibre expansion is aimed at helping mining and other heavy industries in the region to strengthen the safety and wellbeing of their workforce, improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations.

“At the heart of Industry 4.0 lies the power of data. To extract that power, our heavy industries rely on robust and resilient fibre networks that are both high capacity and ultralow latency to support data-intensive operations. Our fibre expansion will support the vision of what data-led, connected operations can deliver,” he said.

Burns said potential applications for the new infrastructure include allowing real-time monitoring and control for applications such as mineralogy identification.

Other examples include supporting electrification of remote sites with connected sensors, AI and machine learning, and improving the wellbeing of workers by improving early detection of potential hazards.

“Underpinning all of this is high-capacity, scalable, low-latency and resilient digital infrastructure to serve as the central nervous system to support this transformation. We are dedicated to our partnership with our heavy industries and I’m excited to see the positive impact our investments will have on Western Australia industry and beyond,” Burns said.

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