Telstra scores new regional spectrum

In the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) latest round of spectrum licensing, Telstra has secured access to spectrum in the 2GHz band for 1401 regional and remote locations across Australia.

The licences issued by ACMA allow the telco to expand its Next G services in regional locations such as Ballarat in Victoria, Mt Gambier in South Australia and Mudgee in New South Wales.

"These new licences are fundamental to our ability to continue to meet our customers' demand for ultra-fast, reliable wireless broadband," Telstra chief operating officer Michael Rocca said in a statement. "At Telstra we are continuing to upgrade the speeds we are offering customers on the Next G network, including our recent announcement that over 100 regional centres are covered by our dual channel technology, meaning that they can access typical download speeds of between 1.1Mbps and 20Mbps."

Rocca said that the spectrum allocation will allow the company to cope with the increasing demand on Telstra's Next G network over the next few years.

"Telstra forecasts that the wireless data traffic we are carrying today is a small proportion of the volumes we will be carrying in 2013," Rocca said.

"This is an excellent outcome for regional and remote communities, and demonstrates a heartening level of demand from industry for additional spectrum to service those communities," ACMA chairman Chris Chapman said in a statement.

In the first round of spectrum allocation announced in July, the authority issued 972 licences to the telco's biggest rival Optus.

For telcos wishing to apply for additional 2GHz licences in regional and remote areas of Australia, ACMA is now accepting applications via an over-the-counter administrative process. The authority recently announced plans to construct a spectrum trading site where people would be able to buy and trade spectrum licences.