this was added to the NBN website media page today. I read that...

this was added to the NBN website media page today. I read that KACOMMS is merely a PR company. The deal with NBN was done direct with Arianespace and there could be a big possibility that Newsat may be somewhere in the middle of all this. Am I thinking right?????

NBN Co and Arianespace seal satellite launch contract
Rockets to propel satellites into orbit in 2015, helping to bring high speed broadband to
outback Australia
Australians in rural and remote areas are a step closer to receiving high-speed broadband with the
announcement that Arianespace, the European satellite launch company, has been selected to propel
Australia’s National Broadband Network satellites into space.
The contract, worth up to $300 million, was awarded following a comprehensive two-year procurement
process.
The satellites will allow access to fast internet to up to 200,000 homes, farms and businesses in remote
parts of the country at speeds people in the city currently take for granted.
NBN Co Chief Executive Officer Mike Quigley said: “The NBN satellite service is key to bridging the
divide between the city and the bush. It will give people in the outback, remote regions and Australia’s
overseas territories access to economic and social opportunities that the rest of us take for granted. For
instance, faster speeds will allow people in regional communities to work from home like they would
from the office, access video-based health services and make high-quality video calls to family and
friends*.
“Just as importantly, the NBN is helping to foster real competition in communications in the bush. That
drives affordable prices for consumers. Every broadband provider on the NBN has equal access to the
network and NBN Co’s wholesale prices to broadband providers are no different in the city or the bush.”
According to Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace: “We are proud to be part of
Australia’s National Broadband Network project that will help deliver much-needed high-speed
broadband services to communities in regional and remote areas of this vast island continent.
Arianespace has led the launch services industry with many operational firsts and numerous recordsetting
missions.”
Two purpose-built communications satellites, currently under construction in California by Space
Systems/Loral, will lift off aboard two 777 tonne Ariane 5 heavy-lift rockets which will deliver the
payloads into geostationary orbit to serve Australia.
The two launches from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana, situated on the equator on the North
Atlantic coast of South America, are scheduled during 2015.
Today’s contract signing follows the recent announcement that NBN Co is planning to boost wholesale
internet speeds available to rural and remote Australia.
A higher speed tier is planned to offer wholesale download speeds to broadband providers over satellite
and fixed-wireless of up to 25 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps – five times higher than the
upload speeds and four times higher than the download speeds available on today’s NBN Interim
Satellite Service**.
The faster speed tier is planned to be available over the Fixed Wireless network as early as June this
year and over the Long Term Satellite service when it launches in 2015.