Telstra InfraCo, the new business unit with the Telstra Group that operates the company’s passive and physical infrastructure assets (ducts, fibre, data centres, subsea cables and exchanges) has begun offering a Dark Fibre service for the first time – a significant milestone in Telstra’s T22 transformation.
Fibre optic cables are made up of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of smaller fibre optic strands arranged in pairs. Dark Fibre are pairs that haven’t been ‘lit up’ and can be licensed to organisations that require very high bandwidth.
“With more than 250 pre-defined paths available right now in six state capitals, connected to 68 metro data centres, 78 NBN Points of Interconnect and two cable landing stations, opening up our fixed network to customers in this way is a profound step in unlocking untapped value in our network assets. Available in most capital cities initially, we will soon expand the availability and use cases of Dark Fibre across the nation, beyond just metro locations,” states Telstra InfraCo Fibre Executive Kathryn Jones.
“Dark Fibre is the first of a series of offerings we will bring to the market that will give our customers the capacity, flexibility, security and speed needed to unlock new business opportunities.”
https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/media/media-releases/telstra-infraco-dark-fibre
Telstra’s 3-way restructuring: InfraCo Fixed, InfraCo Towers, ServeCo
Telstra is proposing a major restructuring that would to create three separate legal entities within the Telstra Group:
- InfraCo Fixed, which would own and operate Telstra’s passive or physical infrastructure assets: the ducts, fibre, data centres, subsea cables and exchanges that underpin Telstra’s fixed telecommunications network.
- InfraCo Towers, which would own and operate Telstra’s passive or physical mobile tower assets, which Telstra will look to monetise over time given the strong demand and compelling valuations for this type of high-quality infrastructure.
- ServeCo, which would continue to focus on creating innovative products and services, supporting customers and delivering the best possible customer experience. ServeCo would own the active parts of the network, including the radio access network and spectrum assets.
Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said the plan is driven by monetisation opportunities for its infrastructure assets where this might create additional value for shareholders.
“The proposed restructure is one of the most significant in Telstra’s history and the largest corporate change since privatisation. It will unlock value in the company, improve the returns from the company’s assets and create further optionality for the future,” Mr Penn said.
“The challenges and disruptions of the last 6-12 months have reinforced the increasing value of infrastructure assets globally; the importance of the digital economy, not only to business but to the whole of Australia and its economic recovery; and the dependence of the digital economy on telecommunications as its platform. Our proposed new corporate structure reflects this new world and will help us support the foundation for it – one that is in the interests of our shareholders, our employees, our customers, and ultimately one that benefits the country overall.”
https://www.telstra.com.au/content/dam/tcom/about-us/investors/pdf%20F/2020-Investor-Day.pdf