Under a $100 million agreement with the state government, Telstra upgrades the network infrastructure that serves Victoria’s more than 1600 public schools. The improvement, which has already been completed in more than half of all schools, is projected to increase internet bandwidth speeds between 40Mbps and 3Gbps.
Telstra will ensure that all students, especially those in remote and rural regions, have the least 1Mbps available before the changeover to NAPLAN standardized testing online next year. Under the government’s telecommunications state purchase deal, schools will share an aggregate bandwidth of 870Gbps based on student enrollment.
Telstra said it is spending more than $40 million on capital improvements to allow the speed jump, with 700 public schools already upgraded.
Because the enhancements “reach beyond the classroom,” Telstra stated that the initiative will have a broader community impact, particularly in regional and rural communities, which are a “key priority.”
“Telstra’s $40 million commitment in elevated broadband access will help more than simply Victorian schools,” Telstra Enterprise group CEO David Burns said. Likewise, the investment will “set the framework for future improvements and flow-on advantages to 4G and 5G networks.” Work to increase internet speeds in Victorian schools follows a similar agreement struck with the NSW government last year, which would see Telstra lay and over 5200 kilometers of fiber. In addition, the telecom is providing a bandwidth increase to schools in Western Australia as part of a $130 million arrangement, and it has previously built fiber capable of 1Gbps speeds in South Australia.