Brumby plugs for Vic NBN HQ with institute

in brief Victorian Premier John Brumby yesterday announced the creation of a new broadband-focused institute at the University of Melbourne, labelling it another reason why the headquarters of the planned National Broadband Network company should be in his state.

The so-called Institute for a Broadband Enabled Society will utilise $50 million in funding and create 64 new jobs, Brumby said. "This institute is another reason why Victoria is the natural home of the NBN Corporation, along with Victoria's impressive reputation in broadband-related research and development," he said in a statement.

Minister for Information and Communication Technology John Lenders said companies like Telstra, Cisco, Allied Telesis, Microsoft, Ericsson, NEC Australia, Optus, Pacific Broadband Networks, Haliplex, Alcatel-Lucent and Bell Laboratories had agreed to participate in the institute. NICTA and the Centre for Ultra Broadband Information Networks are the foundation partners in the effort, along with the university.