Telstra, Visionstream renew network construction contract

Telstra will pay Visionstream $120 million over three years to build and maintain its national Wideband and Dedicated Digital Network

Telstra will pay Visionstream $120 million over three years to build and maintain its national Wideband and Dedicated Digital Network (DDN), under a contract renewal signed by the companies.

Under the agreement, Visionstream will construct the network, connect new customers and link customers into Telstra's systems. The Wideband network provides telecom services nationally for Telstra's government, business and wholesale customers. The contract renews a previous agreement between the companies and includes an optional two-year extension.

Visionstream, a subsidiary of the Leighton Group, "has been installing pit and pipe, performing street and in-building cable hauls, installing racks of equipment in telephone exchanges and customers' premises, managing building owner access and permissions, council authorisations, and environmental and heritage searches," the company said.

Visionstream installs network technology with bandwidths from 2Mbps up to "many gigabits per second," it said. The products allow ISDN voice and data, among other high-speed data applications, using SDH, PDH and other communication protocols, it said.

Visionstream has the contract in Auckland and Northland to build and maintain Chorus's copper and fibre networks.