Launtel says it is advancing plans to make Tassie the nation’s “first gigabit state” and has chosen Priceline Glenorchy for the VIP launch ceremony to show that gigabit speeds are a productive addition to the information technology utilised by any business in Tasmania.
“Today’s event is a major step in a statewide project that began earlier this year when Launceston became Australia’s first Gigabit city. Today we will be adding Hobart as Australia’s first capital city to boast gigabit NBN internet,” said Michael Costigan, Launtel chief executive. “After that, we can look forward to the opportunity to upgrade other areas of Tasmania such as Burnie and Devonport on to the pure fibre gigabit network.”
“Tasmania has long relied on four mainstays of economic growth: forestry, mining, agriculture and tourism. The introduction of gigabit Internet adds a new economic driver that offers high wage employment opportunities and environmentally friendly growth. It’s an industry that firmly places Tasmania at the forefront of the high tech industry in Australia, and makes it the logical business location for Australian businesses wishing to interact on equal terms with other high speed economies around the world.”
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According to Costigan, for various political, economic and logistical reasons, Tasmania is likely to remain the only state in Australia with widely available gigabit connection for several years or more.
“Tasmania must seize this golden opportunity to claim what is effectively Australia's version of Silicon Valley and become the nation’s point of contact for the other gigabit economies around the world.”
Costigan claims the gigabit Internet, combined with other high tech developments (such as the LoRa IoT network and various Smart City initiatives around the world), heralds the dawn of a new era in Tasmania, “an era of enhanced connectedness, global interaction and an opportunity for Tasmania to become the leading technology state in Australia”.
And he claims Tasmania becomes the only “smart-state” in Australia able to harness the economic benefits of a modern first-world economy.
Costigan says gigabit connectivity catapults Hobart into an escalating number of gigabit cities around the world that boast the world’s fastest Internet, including Amsterdam, Moscow, Singapore, Toronto, Barcelona and fast-growing Hyderabad.
“Hobart will be leading the way ahead of traditional megacities such as Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, Paris, New York and even Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.
