Why Australian-specific cable is crucial for local infrastructure projects

Australian-specific cable: the silent superhero of infrastructure

Australian-specific cable is essential for Australian projects. Our friends from the Australian Cable Initiative explain why.

Australia is a big country, so any infrastructure projects are usually on a grand scale. With the increasing reliance on technology, cabling – both electrical and fibre optic – plays a vital role in connecting homes, factories, hospitals, office buildings and community centres. There’s a lot of land to cover in Australia and this means a lot of cable! The good news is we have some of the best cable manufacturers in the world providing solutions to some of Australia’s unique challenges.  

In fact, approximately 50% of all cables used in Australia are made locally, from the simplest single core automotive cable through to cables used to connect buildings, high-voltage cables used in transmission projects and some of the largest and most complex fibre optic cables seen anywhere in the world.

Australia has specific needs and conditions not necessarily replicated in other parts of the world – so having cable designed for our unique conditions is imperative for infrastructure success.

Telstra intercity project

Over the years, Telstra has built an extensive fibre optic network to support communications in Australia and would arguably have the most extensive network in the country. But as demands for high-speed data increase, this network has needed augmentations. Late last year, Telstra announced an expansion project that would increase their network by a whopping 20,000 kilometres of new route cable. 

The good news is this cable is all being made in Australia by members of the Australian Cable Initiative (ACI).

Specially developed and manufactured in Australia, the cable is designed to be laid directly in the ground, saving on the cost of installing sub-ducting and increasing the speed of the build. 

Why does Australia need Australian-specific cable?

Australia, the land of sweeping plains, has earth that frequently contains reactive soils, often referred to as black soils. As these soils expand and contract with changes in moisture, they can crush and break traditional cables that have not been designed to withstand these enormous forces of nature.  The cable utilised by Telstra is of a unique design, affording it the required strength to withstand whatever nature throws at it. A true Aussie solution for a uniquely Australian problem.

Another challenge for fibre optic cable in Australia is the vast distances we need it to cover. To meet this challenge, the cables in the Telstra project will contain a special grade of low-loss fibre to ensure the transmitted laser signals reach the far end with sufficient amplitude to be properly read. 

Connecting regional and rural

Rural Fibre Co – Gippsland project

The National Broadband Network (NBN) aims to provide broadband connectivity to the majority of Australian premises using a multi-technology approach. As a result, some areas, typically in cities, receive a very good, fast and reliable connection. Other areas, usually those located regionally, often get a slower and less reliable service, as these networks frequently employ the old copper wire technology such as ADSL.

There are a number of companies building long-haul and back-haul networks to support traffic growth in and between capital cities and large regional centres. Telstra has built a very large network to support this type of business.

However, the geographical challenge again kicks in, this time with regards to profitability. The more remote the infrastructure, the more expensive. Fortunately, there is an emergence of newer companies who are taking the initiative to install extensive fibre networks to service customers in more remote and regional areas, with the focus on community benefit rather than financial benefit. Rural Fibre Co, a company based in Gippsland and founded by Phillip Britt (co-founder of Aussie Broadband), have announced they will build a network in Gippsland to service the local community. They acknowledge it is unlikely to be a profitable venture and will rather be more of a community project built and maintained by members of the community to help grow and sustain the region.

This could be the start of an interesting community-led trend where people take the initiative to achieve the level of connectivity that is enjoyed in the larger cities. Achieving their infrastructure dreams is made easier because there are innovative, professional, local companies right here in Australia to design and manufacture cable to meet requirements and standards.

The Australian Cable Initiative (ACI) was established in 2011 to promote the safety and compliance of electrical cables used in buildings. A not-for-profit organisation, the ACI is administered by a Board of Directors who work closely with the State Electrical Safety Offices and industry groups to share their findings and advocate for better specifications and intensified surveillance regimes. The ACI operates and funds a surveillance scheme to acquire cables at random from the marketplace and have them independently tested. It monitors electrical cables manufactured, sold, used, or distributed in Australia to assess compliance with Australian Standards. Both member and non-member cables are sampled and tested for compliance and for safety. Members of the ACI sign up to our constitution and charter requiring each member to continuously monitor the quality and compliance of the cables they sell or install.

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