AARNet increases Basslink capacity to 10 Gbps

AARNet has secured a 15-year agreement with subsea cable operator Basslink that will provide Tasmanian researchers with access to mainland-equivalent fibre links for the first time.

The Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet) said today that it had reached a capacity use agreement with Basslink for up to 10 Gbps.

The research network also had an option to take a second 10 Gbps wavelength on the Basslink subsea cable.

Previously, AARNet had a capacity agreement with Telstra for 2x155 Mbps.

"While researchers on the mainland typically enjoy connections into the AARNet backbone at 10Gbps, researchers in Tasmania have been limited to 155Mbps restricting, for example, the radio telescope at Mt Pleasant outside Hobart," business development director Mary Fleming told iTnews in a statement.

"AARNet has long been committed to extending 10Gbps capacity to Tasmanian customers and is thrilled to announce that this is now possible via the Basslink partnership."

AARNet has also set up a point of presence at Pipe Networks' Hobart data centre.

About $4 million of funding for the increased capacity came from the Australian Government's Systemic Infrastructure Initiative.

The agreement itself was signed about six months ago, AARNet said.

Tasmanian AARNet users included the University of Tasmania, CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Division.

The University's acting vice-chancellor David Rich foreshadowed new "opportunities that will arise as a result of this new ability to participate in the national e-Research agenda."