Telstra scales back national fibre rollout

Telstra has confirmed that its national fibre network has been scaled back from a 20,000km rollout of intercity corridors to 14,000km, after axing some lower priority links.

Telstra CEO and Managing Director Vicki Brady announcing the Telstra Aura network.
Zachariah Kelly/iTnews

Linked gallery: Photos: Telstra launches the Aura fibre optic network

The routes that remain as proposals include Brisbane to Darwin and Darwin to Perth via the coast.

A Telstra spokesperson confirmed to iTnews that these routes are being considered, and were initially put forward when the 20,000km project was announced in 2022, but are not a priority for the current 14,000km build.

The confirmation comes as Telstra completed the first coastal corridor between Sydney and Melbourne, with one-third of the rollout completed overall.

Telstra also renamed the network yesterday as the Aura network.

With the network now officially launched, the telco has set its sights on connecting Australia's other capitals.

A central Sydney to Melbourne fibre corridor is expected to be completed next, followed by a Sydney to Perth leg.

"They're all under build," Telstra CEO and managing director Vicki Brady told iTnews. "Sydney to Perth's building. Adelaide right up to Darwin is under build. Perth to Adelaide is getting built.

"As we build out, we engage with regional communities, with local governments, with state governments around where we can do the 'on-off ramps' [into regional cities and towns]... ...then working with them on projects to be able to do that."

Crossing off the Sydney-Melbourne network made sense to do early, given they're Australia's two biggest cities and are home to most of the company's data traffic. 

Brady said the new cable gave Telstra "35 times the capacity on this route versus any other standard fibre that's in the ground today."

It's expected that this fibre network could be in operation for another 20-to-30 years from now.

Telstra first unveiled its private fibre network plan in February 2022, putting $1.6 billion toward it and an assortment of other projects.

Alongside the Aura network, the fund would also pay for an upgrade the company's fibre footprint in the Pilbara and underpin a partnership with Viasat.

In 2023, the company expanded its fibre network plan, with another 5000km of fibre to be rolled out between then and 2027.

In June, Telstra completed the first corridor of its national intercity network, with the completion of the Sydney to Canberra leg.