With global network traffic set to grow up to ninefold by 2033, Worrall said Aura \u2013 which will cut latency by 4 per cent and downtime by 50 per cent \u2013 \u201cis designed to address these demands with record-breaking speed, scale, and reliability\u2026. The possibilities [Aura] unlocks are truly inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aura will let Telstra supply businesses with \u2018dark fibre<\/a>\u2019 connections at up to 83.6Tbps; scalable \u2018direct spectrum\u2019 at 3.8Tbps to 15.2Tbps; or fully managed point-to-point 100Gbps and 400Gbps services to directly connect customer sites and data centres \u2013 including exploding<\/a> AI data centres.<\/p>\n Microsoft is a foundation partner<\/a> of the Aura network, which will dramatically speed movement of data between data centres supporting Microsoft\u2019s Azure cloud platform and Copilot AI services \u2013 including Telstra\u2019s own investment in 21,000 Copilot for Microsoft 365 licenses.<\/p>\n Microsoft has 34.3 per cent of Australia\u2019s infrastructure as a service (IaaS) market, Gartner says, making it the largest local cloud and AI data centre operator ahead of Amazon Web Services (27.7 per cent) \u2013 whose recent major outage<\/a> exposed an Internet soft spot \u2013 and Google (19.8 per cent).<\/p>\n Regional aspect<\/b><\/p>\n While Aura\u2019s raw speed will support the explosive growth of predominantly AI focused data centre,s with Amazon alone set to invest<\/a> $20 billion locally through 2029, Worrall particularly called out its value to the more than 2,000 regional communities it will pass through and connect to.<\/p>\n The opportunities of better connectivity for those communities \u2013 which include Wollongong, Yerriyong, Queanbeyan, Cooma, and Bombala in NSW; Monash and Deakin, ACT; and Noorinbee North, Orbost, Bairnsdale, Toongabbie, and Warragul in Victoria \u2013 \u201creally excites me\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n By providing \u201con and off ramps\u201d into those regional communities, he said, Aura\u2019s improved connectivity \u201cwill help to transform lives and Aussie communities\u201d by supporting virtual healthcare, online education, or technology-assisted agriculture.<\/p>\n The speed of the new fibre-optic is 35 times faster than before. Photo: Shutterstock<\/p>\n Bringing city-grade connectivity to these regional areas makes Aura \u201ca massive change for data transmission across our nation,\u201d Minister for Communications Anika Wells said<\/a> in launching the coastal link \u2013 just the latest element of a network that also includes an 800Tbps undersea upgrade<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is critical that a country as vast as Australia prioritises connectivity,\u201d she said, noting that the \u201cfree-flowing digital highways of the future\u201d that projects like Aura deliver \u201care necessary to respond to technological changes\u201d such as AI and quantum computing.<\/p>\n Telstra recently announced<\/a> the \u201csignificant\u201d success of a joint initiative with Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), spending 12 months testing SQC\u2019s WaterMelon<\/a> quantum machine learning engine to forecast network performance \u2013 and found it could trim weeks of AI training to just days.<\/p>\n A path to economic value<\/b><\/p>\n As faster connectivity makes such opportunities more feasible than ever \u2013 and in more parts of Australia \u2013 an Oxford Economics report<\/a> has predicted the \u201cstep change\u201d Aura network will support 84,000 jobs and deliver $29 billion in additional GDP, including the $5 billion regional boost.<\/p>\n This includes 8,900 jobs during construction, 190 long-term jobs related to operation of the network, and a $2 billion GDP contribution from building the network \u2013 which will ultimately connect all capital cities and intermediate regional centres with redundant dual fibres.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n