OPEL Networks - Network Infrastructure

Network Infrastructure

The OPEL Networks rollout was to include:

• 1,361 WiMAX sites across all states as well as the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory
• 312 DSLAMs across all states
• 114 DSLAMs to be built and owned by Optus and made available to OPEL, across all states excluding Tasmania, but including the ACT.
• 2,400 km of new fibre-optic backhaul, including a new undersea link to Tasmania

The venture was also to acquire long term leased links from Optus (10,200 km) and other providers such as Nextgen Networks (2,200 km), as well as establishing a Tasmanian link using Basslink, providing OPEL with a protected link to the island.

The selection of WiMAX technology was questioned by some groups, including the then Federal Opposition and competitor Telstra, leading to further debate.

On 2008-01-07, OPEL acquired spectrum licences from Austar, conditional upon approval of its funding agreement, enabling it to deploy WiMAX using licenced spectrum rather than using unlicenced spectrum as previously planned.