Residents living in Western New South Wales (NSW) can begin to connect to affordable, high-speed broadband with the launch of services on nbn’s Sky Muster satellite network.

Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has welcomed the official launch of nbn’s commercial Sky Muster broadband service.

“This is great news particularly for people in the more rural and remote parts of Western NSW that will finally be able to access high speed internet,” Mr Coulton said.

The new high-speed broadband service is a practical example of the Coalition Government’s plan to successfully transition Australia’s economy and to create more jobs.

Offering download speeds of up to 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps, the Sky Muster service will provide a faster online experience for internet users living in regional and remote areas.

“The Australian Government has invested $2 billion in two advanced Ka-band satellites and a network of ground stations that make up the Sky Muster service,” Mr Coulton said.

“The remoteness of our continent and its islands is no longer a barrier to broadband connectivity thanks to nbn’s Sky Muster.”

Each service requires a professional installation of a new receiver dish and indoor modem.

“Many homes and businesses in the Federal electorate of Parkes are still dependent on very basic internet access which makes even online banking or emailing difficult,” Mr Coulton said.

“Sky Muster will change all that for many thousands of Australians.”

Equal priority will be given to new customers and current nbn Interim Satellite Service users migrating to Sky Muster. Around 5,000 users per month will be connected in the early months of the rollout before scaling up to 10,000 installations per month later this year.

More than 600 installers have been fully trained and are forecast to reach on average one to two premises per day due to safety considerations and extended traveling times involved in each installation.

An estimated 18,964 homes and businesses in the Federal electorate of Parkes will be eligible to connect to the service as they are outside of nbn’s fixed line and fixed wireless coverage areas.

A variety of different broadband plans are available from providers and pricing compares favourably with current international and local commercial satellite and mobile internet plans.

The launch of nbn’s commercial satellite services is delivering the Government’s commitment to bring high-speed broadband to rural and regional Australia.

For more information on eligibility and retailers visit: www.nbnco.com.au or freecall nbn on 1800 687 626.