Telstra InfraCo will launch the first segment of Australia’s new national Intercity Fibre Network on June 25, starting with the Sydney to Canberra coastal route. This marks a key milestone in Telstra’s $1.6 billion investment to modernize national connectivity infrastructure and support projected data demand growth driven by AI, digital services, and cloud computing.
The new route delivers high-capacity, ultra-low-loss fibre connectivity targeted at hyperscalers, enterprise customers, government agencies, telecom carriers, and regional service providers. More than 4,000km of fibre have been deployed to date, with full mainland capital city connectivity expected by the end of FY27. Two additional coastal paths—Canberra to Melbourne and Sydney to Melbourne—are scheduled to enter service in Q1 FY26 and are currently open for pre-orders.
Telstra’s Intercity Fibre Network uses a dual-cable design, providing both express links between capitals and regional foundation paths with access points. The infrastructure is designed to bolster economic activity in regional Australia and improve services in health, education, defence, and mining. The network will offer three core service tiers tailored to diverse customer requirements.
- Dark Fibre: Fully customer-managed, high-capacity (60–80 Tbps) links between capital cities, with regional access points.
- Direct Spectrum: Scalable self-managed service offering 3.8–15.2 Tbps with partial fibre-pair options.
- Wavelength: Fully managed point-to-point 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps connectivity for customers not seeking to invest in physical infrastructure.
“Australia is on the cusp of a data explosion,” said Dino Georgiou, Executive for Customer Success at Telstra InfraCo. “Generative AI, connected infrastructure and many tech advancements are increasing demand for interconnected assets like data centres and LEO satellites.”