Telstra InfraCo has announced the impending opening of the first route of the Intercity Fibre Network, a critical piece of Telstra’s $1.6 billion strategic investment to meet connectivity demand for the next generation.
The Sydney to Canberra coastal route will open on 25th June to deliver a high capacity and ultra-low loss optical fibre connection for enterprises, hyperscalers, government, telco carriers and other retail service providers. It is the first completed route across the new network that will connect every mainland capital city in Australia by the end of FY27, with over 4,000km of fibre laid to-date. The Canberra to Melbourne coastal and Sydney to Melbourne coastal paths are expected to be ready for service in Q1 FY26 and are now open for pre-orders.
Dino Georgiou, Telstra InfraCo’s Executive for Customer Success, said the Intercity Fibre Network would help Australia keep pace with data growth and deliver the connectivity needed for decades to come.
“Australia is on the cusp of a data explosion,” said Georgiou. “Generative AI, connected infrastructure and many of the tech advancements making headlines today are generating more data and increasing demand for interconnected assets like data centres and LEO Satellites.”
Telstra InfraCo opens first route of Australia’s national fibre backbone
“We’re predicting demand for data could increase by more than 30 percent year on year between now and 2031.”
The Intercity Fibre Network features a dual-cable architecture that provides an express, long-distance path between capital cities and a foundation path to enhance connectivity between regional and remote areas. The foundation path of the Sydney to Canberra coastal route includes on and off ramp infrastructure to allow access to customers along the network. This access creates opportunities for economic development in regional communities, the potential to improve access to education and healthcare in areas that were limited by existing digital infrastructure, as well as enhanced connectivity for mining and defence.
“Telstra’s Intercity Fibre Network is a significant national infrastructure build and the completion of the Sydney to Canberra coastal route is a major milestone for the project,” said Mr Georgiou. “To get here, we overcame considerable complexities, from building through rock and mountains to working with hundreds of stakeholders from government, industry, private landowners and traditional owner groups.”
Intercity Fibre Network products to offer flexibility and scale
Telstra InfraCo also announced the launch of three Intercity Fibre Network products that offer choice to customers depending on their needs:
Dark Fibre: The highest capacity, full-customer managed option, Dark Fibre provides customers with a dedicated part of the Intercity Fibre Network to move data at approximately 60 Tbps to 80 Tbps between capital cities, with the option for regional on and off ramps.
Direct Spectrum: Offering an eighth, a quarter and a half-fibre-pair options, Direct Spectrum provides scalable bandwidth ranging from approximately 3.8 Tbps to 15.2 Tbps, while giving customers control with BYO equipment and self-management.
Wavelength: With 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps services, the Wavelength solution will give customers access to high-capacity, point-to-point connectivity that is fully managed by Telstra InfraCo and eliminates the need to invest in heavy infrastructure.
The Intercity Fibre Network will form part of InfraCo’s significant infrastructure, including the largest wholly-owned subsea cable network in Asia Pacific, 250,000km of fibre connecting 133 third party data centres and all 121 NBN POIs, ducts, pits, poles and more.
The Sydney to Canberra coastal Intercity Fibre route with the Dark Fibre offering, Direct Spectrum and Wavelength products all go live from 25th June 2025. This path and products, along with the Canberra to Melbourne coastal and Sydney to Melbourne coastal paths, are now open for pre-orders.
