nbn boosts country classrooms
Sky Muster™ set to improve access to broadband services for kids in Queensland.
For children studying via distance education at home, or from remotely located schools, internet speed and data allowance is crucial for their ability to take lessons and harness the latest technologies.
nbn is committed to supporting Australia’s most remotely located students and has today announced the availability of wholesale broadband packages for internet service providers that will deliver additional internet capacity and fast download speeds to eligible regional Queensland students and schools.
The Sky Muster™ Satellite Education Service aims to ensure that eligible students in rural areas will be able to better use online education tools, like video conferencing, to visually interact with teachers, fellow students and other experts from all over the world.
Eligible regional Queensland families are already starting to take advantage of the new package, which provides additional internet capacity and faster downloads speeds on top of their current nbn™ service – meaning the possibility of learning experiences without constant interruptions for those students who rely on home broadband to receive their lessons.
Amanda Clark is a Mother of two children, Gina (year 5) and Mitchell (prep). Both children are distance educated at their home on Ibis Creek Station, 4 hours south of Townsville.
Due to their remote location, work and schooling all happens on the property.
Previously, the family had limited and unreliable internet and were forced to use their data allowance sparingly.
Now, with access to the Sky Muster™ Satellite service and additional Education Service the Clark kids are able to download two audio lessons a day and harness the internet to research, access video tutorials and collaborate with teachers and other students.*
Julia Dickinson, nbn’s Satellite Architect said:
“The Sky Muster™ Satellite Education Service provides an opportunity to revolutionise the way children located in remote parts of Australia learn.
"Giving these children and schools access to high speed broadband allows them greater opportunities to expand their knowledge and improve how lessons are delivered.
“Providing dedicated capacity for eligible students in addition to their current service will play a critical role in ensuring kids in the bush don’t get left behind.
"As a nation, our greatest asset is our people and it is extremely important to ensure the country’s youngest minds are able to harness the latest technologies, regardless of where they live.”
The Sky Muster™ Satellite Education Service provide an opportunity to revolutionise the way children and schools located in remote parts of Queensland are receiving lessons, as well as improve access to educational information and resources.
*Your experience including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ network depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control like your equipment quality, software, broadband plans, signal quality and how your service provider designs its network.