Launceston's gigabit advantage

Published on 10 October 2017

When it comes to internet technology, Tasmania can proudly boast an unfair advantage.

And that's exactly the point Launceston-based internet company LaunTEL hopes to push with its ground-breaking gigabit NBN connection.

In May, Launceston architect company ARTAS signed up to the first gigabit connection in the country, which at the time was described as a "game changer in digital innovation".

Since then, LaunTEL has seen its much-lauded gigabit connection speed gain the attention of technology companies across Australia.

One such company, Eaglecrest Technologies in Launceston, saw the obvious benefits to its business model of a gigabit NBN connection.

Ben Jones, Commercial Manager for Eaglecrest Technologies, is a recent gigabit convert and believes his company has the means to now compete with much larger IT companies not only from around Australia, but across the globe.

"It (the LaunTEL gigabit connection) allows us to operate our whole business faster and better than we were before," Mr Jones said.

"Whether that's installing updates for clients at a really low level, or allowing us to go through and perform services on computers faster and get things rolled out to our business clients faster than ever before.

"But it also opens the door for collaboration opportunities like what is possible with Microsoft Office 365 but extending it to more data intensive programs like CAD or Adobe design programs."

Gigabit internet speed is 1000 megabits per second – or 100 times faster than the average internet connection and 10 times faster than the existing NBN maximum speed of 100 megabits a second.

"When you combine that with the 100 per cent fibre to the premise connection that's available in the Launceston region, what that means is that we can very easily compete with larger companies when they're outside of Launceston or on the mainland as well, to be able to delivery our services better," Mr Jones said.

"We've got some clients that operate large IT teams in Sydney and Melbourne that support natural networks. We can deliver (a service desk team) via a better connection in Launceston at a much lower expense so there are some great employment opportunities.”

"For us, connecting was a simple decision. We wanted to make sure that future opportunities for growth were not limited by our connections and gigabit allows us to pursue more opportunities than ever before. "

LaunTEL head of technology, Damian Ivereigh, said it “was hard to overstate the significance to Tasmania” of the new connection.

Late last month, LaunTEL took its gigabit technology to Hobart, with a VIP launch ceremony at Priceline Glenorchy, making Hobart the first capital city in the country to access gigabit internet speeds.

The company has also launched a trial of its gigabit connection for home users, offering a free quarter gigabit (250MB/s) connection to a number of Launceston premises, which have an existing fibre-to-the-premise NBN connection.

While the trial is ongoing, early indications are that the speeds on offer are impressive.