A greenfield site in South Australia is edging towards becoming
the location du jour for Australia's most innovative broadband
services.
Expressions of Interest (EOI) in developing and implementing
"innovative" broadband services within the nearly-developed Seaford
Meadows, a proposed 131 hectare development site near the South
Australian suburb of Onkaparinga, terminates on May 12, 2006.
Work is slated to commence this July. According to the EOI
released by the South Australian government, the project's
objective is to ensure the Seaford Meadows development offer
residents modern telecommunication services, including broadband.
Customers are to have a choice of broadband providers, as well as
access to broadband services equal to or better than what is on
offer in metropolitan Adelaide, in terms of both price and
performance.
While wireless infrastructure will be considered as part of the
service delivery, the tender requires infrastructure to provide the
broadband service, further infrastructure provision may include
metallic or optical fibre cable in ducts in common service
trenches, backhaul connection and the ability to support voice over
Internet protocol applications.
Adrian de Brenni, managing director of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) consultancy de Brenni Associates,
is the ICT consultant for the EOI. De Brenni said the important
factor in the EOI is that it will offer residents broadband
services from multiple providers.
"The key to the project is it will involve solutions that build
on the cooperation between the council, developers and possible
infrastructure and service providers," de Brenni said.
"Cabling can include copper or optical fibre, but the important
factor will be the provision for all residents to access broadband
services, but more importantly from multiple providers."
Seaford Meadows will feature mostly residential homes, as well
as a retirement village and nursing home, primary schools, offices,
shops and cafes, eventually growing to a community of more than
4000 people.
The community will be subdivided into 1890 allotments over six
stages. The first stage of the development, 217 allotments, will be
approved in June 2006. For more information go to www.tenders.sa.gov.au.
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