Terria Access Seekers Association, formerly known as G9, was a consortium of Australian

Internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...

s that in 2006 formed a consortium to bid for the right to build the proposed

National Broadband Network The National Broadband Network (NBN) is Australia’s national wholesale open-access data network. It includes wired and radio communication components rolled out and operated by NBN Co, a government-owned corporation. Internet service provid ...

. The companies involved were Internode Systems,

iiNet iiNet Limited is an Australian internet service provider and telecommunications company that sells NBN plans, 4G and 5G Home Wireless Internet and services on its ULTRA Broadband Cable, FTTB and VDSL2 networks. iiNet also sells mobile pho ...

Macquarie Telecom Macquarie Technology Group Limited ( ASX: MAQ) (Previously Macquarie Telecom Group) is an Australian cloud, data centre, government cyber security and telecom company, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. It owns an ...

Optus Singtel Optus Pty Limited is an Australian Telecommunications in Australia, telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, a suburb in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiar ...

and Primus. Absent from the list was

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecomm ...

. Terria came about in response to a proposal from Telstra to build a Fibre to the node (FTTN) communications network around Australia. The consortium (which at the time comprised eight companies — iiNet was yet to join) responded that the new network would lock out all competitors and would only provide speeds that were achievable with the existing infrastructure. They proposed an alternate open network that with Telstra's participation would have covered a larger percentage of the population and allowed open competition for the same cost. Telstra refused, and apparently due to regulatory issues, abandoned their original plan. In December 2006, the group announced their intention to combine to invest in a Fibre To The Node network. They lodged a special access undertaking regarding pricing policy with the

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Tra ...

(ACCC) in June 2007. In December 2007, the ACCC rejected the plan due to a lack of incentives for providers of the service to compete. In May 2008, the consortium, upon its rebranding to Terria, placed the 5 million dollar bond to take part in the tender process to develop the national broadband network promised by the

Rudd Government Rudd Government may refer to the following Australian governments: * Rudd government (2007–10) * Rudd government (2013) {{Dab ...

. On 2008-11-26, Optus Networks Investments lodged a bid to build the National Broadband Network, on behalf of the Terria consortium. On 7 April 2009, the Australian Government terminated the National Broadband Network tender, opting to instead build the network on its own. On 15 September 2009, it was announced that Terria would reform and put out the call for new members to join the fight in ensuring the government's $43 billion national broadband network becomes a reality.

Former partners

Powertel Powertel Inc. was a mobile network operator headquartered in West Point, Georgia, United States that provided analog cellular and digital PCS mobile communications services in the Southeastern United States. Powertel traces its roots to the May 1 ...

was an original member of the G9, but was acquired by AAPT – another original member - with the rebranding of the consortium to Terria reflecting that change. AAPT itself subsequently left the consortium on 16 October 2008 to become an independent voice on the network build. On 24 October,

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

also chose to leave the consortium. Terria's chairman, Michael Egan, claimed that Soul had not been an active participant in the consortium since its merger with TPG. On 27 October,

TransACT TransACT is the trading name of TransACT Capital Communications, an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and mobile phone services in Canb ...

announced their departure from the consortium, citing their focus on their own individual bid to build the National Broadband Network within the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

and possible conflict of interest should they win with their own bid. In light of the series of departures, the CEOs of the remaining five members of the consortium reiterated their support for Terria.

References

External links

*
Fair Go Broadband
* {{cite web, url=http://whirlpool.net.au/article-past.cfm?q=FTTN, title=FTTN news articles on Whirlpool Telecommunications in Australia Technology consortia Optus