Policies and initiatives > Direction 4. A more prosperous city > Policy 4.5

Policy 4.5 – Encourage the continued deployment of broadband telecommunications services that are easily accessible

Fast and affordable communications services that provide the basis for twenty-first century multimedia content delivery are essential to existing, emerging and future industries, and to improving the quality of life. An extensive broadband telecom-munications trunk network already exists in many parts of metropolitan Melbourne and the surrounding region, but the fact that not everyone can gain access to this infrastructure affects businesses, community wellbeing and the delivery of services such as health, education and training.

Equity of access will be increased and improved for all sectors of the community and throughout the region. The Government will work to enable access to transport and other public corridors for the deployment of broadband networks, in order to encourage infrastructure investment and reduce investor risk.

As a telecommunications hub, metropolitan Melbourne is one of the best-served centres in the Asia-Pacific region (see ‘Digital River and the digital building access code’). The fibre-optic backbone services all major economic clusters of activity and closely follows existing transportation and logistics corridors. In comparison with other Australian States, Victoria has a relatively comprehensive coverage of installed fibre-optic capacity (3,300 km currently deployed with an additional 2,400 km planned as of 2001) and, in terms of land area, the highest proportion of optical fibre deployed per square kilometre of any State.

However, a significant gap in the way broadband is being taken up is emerging between Australia and leading OECD markets. Metropolitan Melbourne is in danger of falling behind in the advanced information infrastructure, such as Digital Subscriber Line technology, needed to ensure the creation of a regionally competitive platform for the innovation economy of the twenty-first century.

Across metropolitan Melbourne, there is already a wide variation in people’s ability to take advantage of advanced communications services – the ‘digital divide’. Educational and household income levels are important indicators of the equitable availability of information and communications resources. Continuation or widening of the digital divide will have compounding effects, given the increasing importance of online education, training and computer literacy to well-paid employment opportunities.

Australian manufacturing and service industries generate the largest proportions of telecommunications revenue. These sectors are metropolitan Melbourne’s most significant industries, underlining the importance of quality information and communications infrastructure for business in Victoria. As businesses in metropolitan Melbourne are further exposed to global competition, telecommunications infrastructure will be an increasingly important way for regional firms to reduce disadvantage due to location.

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