NBN launches two new satellites for rural internet users

THE NBN has just launched two rockets into space with satellites set to deliver faster, more affordable broadband.

Why the NBN just launched two rockets

THE first of two national broadband network satellites has blasted off into space, bringing faster internet speeds a step closer for regional Australians.

The satellite — named Sky Muster by six-year-old Northern Territory student Bailey Brooks — was launched from French Guiana.

The rocket got up to a speed of more than three kilometres a second as it covered its first 450 kilometres.

Residents in regional areas are expected to benefit from the satellite in the first half of next year.

NBN CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement that, “Many homes and businesses in regional and rural Australia still rely on dial-up level speeds and have little or no access to a commercial broadband service — this satellite will help to close the divide and ensure no-one gets left behind.”

Both rockets are designed to deliver satellites that offer broadband to more than 200,000 rural and remote homes and businesses. While they launch today, the satellites won’t be online until early next year.

There has been some controversy surrounding the NBN satellites lately, with concern over whether or not they will be able to handle the traffic.

Speeds of 25Mbp/s have been promised to rural users, but experts have warned that during peak periods of use that the connections could grind to a halt.

“During peak times, there’s going to be a very high likelihood that traffic is going to become congested, and there’s going to be less throughput of traffic, and therefore people can expect the network to slow down considerably,” Doctor Mark Gregory, from RMIT University’s School of Computer Engineering, told the ABC.

Regardless, the new satellites will bring internet speeds to rural customers that they have never been able to access before at an affordable price.