The $A34 million project, which received funding from the Northern Territory Government and Rio Tinto Alcan, and valuable support from the Northern Land Council, connects nine Indigenous communities and the township of Nhulunbuy to Telstra’s fibre optic backbone.
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) was an important part of the project chosen in order to mitigate the project’s environmental impact.
“This project has been innovative and collaborative in a number of ways, from the multi-party partnership with government, business and traditional owners via the Northern Land Council, through to the way the project was managed and the positive outcomes for all concerned,” John Gibbs, head of Telstra Network Construction said.