ADSL2+ for 900 more exchanges

Telstra has committed to enabling ADSL2+ services on 900 additional exchanges Australia wide, providing an estimated 2.4 million more customers access to the broadband technology.

The announcement follows on the heels of the federal government's decision not to force the regulation of third-party access to the ADSL2+ service.

Rollout of the 900 upgrades is scheduled to occur over the next 200 days.

"More than a million extra Australian families, businesses, non-profit organisations and government agencies will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of high-speed broadband," Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo said.

Broadband internet based on ADSL2+ can reach speeds of up to almost 24 Mbps. Bandwidth degrades based on a user's distance from the telephone exchange, reaching about 16 Mbps at a distance of 2 km and about 4 Mbps at 4 km.

According to Telstra, 370 exchanges will be ADSL2+ enabled within the first week of deployment. A further 132 will be enabled within three weeks, while the remaining 405 exchanges will be upgraded before the 200 days is up.