Macquarie Telecom signs up for NBN trial

Macquarie Telecom has signed on to trial the National Broadband Network (NBN) over a one-year period.

(Data storm image by Dave HerHolz, CC BY-SA 2.0)

The managed hosting and business-only telecommunications company is aiming to refine its range of internet and data services in preparation for when the NBN is ready for high-speed enterprise services, scheduled at the end of the third quarter of 2012. Macquarie Telecom expects to complete the trial in June 2012.

The company said that on-board service testing and technical systems assessments will begin in the next few months.

"Access to faster broadband will no doubt boost business productivity, allowing for a far greater uptake of VoIP, network and cloud applications than ever before. We have already begun to look at the ways in which our existing hosting, data and communications services can be adapted and renewed to best effect in this radically different business environment," said Macquarie Telecom managing director for hosting Aidan Tudehope.

"With many of our current services operating in NBN Release 2 areas, Macquarie Telecom has an excellent opportunity to develop its NBN-ready services ahead of full-scale roll-out of the NBN, with significant applications for both its rural and metropolitan clients."

Speaking at the Security 2011 Exhibition and Conference event in Sydney today, NBN solutions architect manager Tom Sykes said that there has already been a huge response from service providers signing up to the NBN.

"In terms of offering services on the mainland ... we've already picked up 25 to 26 different providers. In other words, it's almost the whole market. Certainly the big players are there, some of the smaller ones, too, even some new providers. In terms of service provider uptake, they've really embraced the network," he said.