Australian fiber links
Telstra Corp. in Australia claims a global record for the longest installed Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) optical-fiber network system. A 5000-km fiber link travels across six states and territories from Perth to Brisbane and operates at 2.5 Gbits/sec. Telstra is also introducing SDH technology into its metropolitan interexchange network in all capital cities and some rural areas.
The fiber link carries telephony, facsimile, Internet access, television and data signals, as well as stock market and travel transactions, banking, entertainment, and betting and gaming services. Capable of carrying 30,000 simultaneous two-way subscriber trunk-dialing telephone calls (outside the local calling area), the fiber link can also handle 64 broadcast-TV channels, 240 pay-TV channels or more than 250,000 data channels. According to Doug Campbell, network and technology managing director, the company has invested approximately US$15 million in SDH transmission tech nology from Siemens AG in Munich.
Optus Vision, also in Australia, reports that the broadband cable network it is installing now delivers telephony services. The company is deploying a fully integrated broadband two-way television and telecommunications network in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Using fiber-optic and coaxial cable, the network links residential and business customers to the fiber network already constructed by Optus. This network provides national and international long-distance telephone services between major Australian cities. Optus is the only telephony company in Australia to deliver digital telephone service to the home.