Nextgen to use Alcatel kit in $250m blackspot project

Works through Christmas on planning.

Nextgen's satellite status update, as of May 2010. The fixed red lines indicate backhaul network ...	Nextgen's updated maps for the Government-funded backhaul project, circa late April 2010.	Leighton-owned Nextgen and partner Visionstream begin tearing up the soil in Mt Isa, Queensland, ...
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Nextgen Networks will use Alcatel-Lucent technology to build the six backhaul links for the Federal Government's $250 million broadband blackspots project.

Managing director Phil Sykes said Alcatel's current "primary vendor" status at Nextgen would carry over into the fibre link project.

He said a team at Nextgen had been "working through the Christmas period" planning for the build.

"We're definite about the routes, the technology we'll use and how we'll deploy the fibre itself," Sykes said.

"We're now doing the detailed design work."

Nextgen was awarded the project in December last year, which will put 6,000 kilometres of fibre into the ground to connect 100 regional towns.

Construction of the links was expected to be completed within 18 months.