a bit more background..Quigley:"..I'm talking to a number of...

a bit more background..

Quigley:

"..I'm talking to a number of satellite companies at the moment to see what is available, what options are open and bit by bit we're trying to gather together the information to make rational technological and business choices there."

"..Should NBN Co determine the need for a dedicated satellite to deliver broadband services to remote Australia it could look to a project that is well underway *** to shorten those long lead times ****
: that of satellite services provider *** NewSat ***.

NewSat announced back in November 2007 plans for its own satellite that it hoped to launch this year. It expected to fund $100m of the estimate cost itself, $100m form potential partners and get Government funding already set aside for telecommunications to provide the rest. The proposed Ka band satellite would be build by Space Systems Loral , launched by Arianespace and would provide coverage of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Timor.

NewSat repeated its offer in July 2008 in a submission to the Expert Group working on the NBN Mark 1 (FTTN version). In that submission NewSat suggested that the use of satellite technology to provide positioning for precision farming could be a key application, in addition to communications.

The project, now going by the name Jabiru, is still very much alive: at its annual results announcement last month, NewSat said it had appointed Lazard as strategic adviser on, amongst other things its plans to launch its own satellite.."

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/27798/127/1/1/

--So choose Optus = 3 Years or Newsat about 1/2 that as much of the work is done already..