Multimedia Victoria - Victoria's NBN case ramps up with $5 million investment

Victoria's NBN case ramps up with $5 million investment


News - 24 July 2009

The Victorian Government has strengthened its credentials to host the new National Broadband Network by investing $5 million to develop and trial next generation ICT applications.

Premier John Brumby said Victoria was already well-placed to become a world leader for developing next generation ICT applications and this further investment would help to ensure that technology was user-friendly and ready to solve the ICT problems of the future.

“This $5 million investment will help next generation applications developed in Victoria move into homes and businesses faster, helping secure the Victorian economy and create jobs in this difficult economic time,” Mr Brumby said.

“The National Broadband Network (NBN) will provide underlying fibre optic broadband infrastructure but what we will need next is the new generation of ICT applications.

“Victoria already has a fibre optic broadband industry unparalleled in Australia and a rapidly growing fibre to the home network including 18 new estates with over 25,000 new homes being connected to fibre, such as the University Hill, Aurora and Sandhurst estates.”

The Victorian Government’s property development agency VicUrban has been installing fibre direct to properties in new housing estates since 2006 as have a number of private developers.

Mr Brumby said Victoria had been the national leader in accelerating productivity and service delivery using ICT for many years, through programs such as the Broadband Innovation Fund, eResearch and the Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund.

“This funding also builds on the recent announcement of the $50 million Institute for the Broadband Enabled Society (IBES), which will start the development of new fibre broadband applications. This is another reason why Victoria is the natural home for the NBN Corporation along with Victoria’s impressive reputation in innovation and broadband technology.”

The funding will target innovative projects that use next generation ICT in key areas such as environment, health, education, local government, emergency services and community services.

“Projects funded by the program will be tested in Victoria’s existing high-capacity broadband network areas and also in areas where the NBN is rolled out in Victoria,” Mr Brumby said.

Minister for Information and Communication Technology John Lenders said the fund would bring together key industry, community and government players.

“Innovators across Victoria will be able to trial their products and services with real broadband users, and Victorian broadband users will benefit by getting first access to the most innovative applications the NBN will have to offer,” Mr Lenders said.

This fund is part of the $15 million Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (cIIF) which supports the innovative use of next generation ICT. Round 1 of the cIIF is currently underway, with projects supporting innovative applications of web 2.0 by industry, community and government organisations to be announced in October 2009.