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Telstra Seeks Government Funding to Extend DSL Network

10:40 pm on January 16, 2007 | Category: Business, Internet, Telecom Services

Australia’s leading telecom provider, Telstra, is seeking A$600 million in funding from that country’s federal government, as part of a national broadband infrastructure initiative.

Telstra is promising to extend its DSL network to cover 95% of Australia’s population, and deliver high-speed internet service to 250,000 additional homes and businesses in rural and remote areas.

Funding would come out of the government’s $1.1 billion Broadband Connect Infrastructure Program, which is intended to bridge the digital divide and bring internet access to under-served parts of the country.

â€œThe proposal would see fixed broadband coverage expanded from 91 percent to 95 percent of the population, including remote communities such as Birdsville, Groote, Eylandt, Marble Bar, and the Tiwi Islands,â€ Telstra explained in a statement.

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