Michael Gunner
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Paul Kirby
Minister for Corporate and Digital Development
Media Release
HyperOne to Supercharge NT Economy
16 February 2022
The Territory Labor Government has granted Major Project Status to the new $1.5 Billion HyperOne high-speed network set to supercharge the Territory economy and create thousands of local jobs.
The $1.5 billion project will create around 10,000 jobs during construction, with 1,000 estimated to be based in the Territory.
HyperOne is a new national hyperscale digital infrastructure project that will directly connect Darwin to every capital city in Australia for the first time with high-speed world class fibre – which will see 20,000 kilometres of new high-speed fibre cable laid across Australia, with 2,200 kilometres installed in the Territory.
The terrestrial fibre network will have capacity to carry 10,000 terabits of data per second – which is more traffic than every other national backbone built in Australia combined.
HyperOne has the potential to turn Darwin into Australia’s digital gateway to Asia, unlocking new opportunities for business and investment while improving connectivity for everyday Territorians.
High-speed fibre optic cable is expected to follow the Stuart and Barkly Highways, connecting regional centres of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine. This will also provide opportunities for connection to remote communities on either side of the highway.
This in turn will see many communities being able to access backhaul fibre for the first time, improving services for Territorians live in remote areas.
The project will be delivered sequentially in stages, with phase one including the Adelaide to Darwin and the Sydney to Melbourne to Adelaide to Perth leg.
HyperOne will deliver a generational upgrade to the Territory’s core digital infrastructure, with on and off ramps and services supporting greater connectivity across the whole of the NT.
Major Project Status is a formal recognition of a project’s significance through its contribution to economic growth, productivity, employment and industry development in the Northern Territory.
Quotes from Chief Minister Michael Gunner:
“HyperOne is one the projects that has the potential to turn Darwin into a global gateway to Australia and Asia. It will open the door for new jobs, and opportunities for business and improve digital capabilities for Territorians.
“Major Project Status recognises the significance of a project and the positive impact it will have on the Territory’s economy – creating jobs, enhancing services and boosting investment opportunities – and HyperOne does just that.
Quotes from Minister for Corporate and Digital Development Paul Kirby:
“HyperOne is enabling infrastructure which enables flow on benefits such as bringing network services into remote communities, improving business capabilities and presence and boosting projects near cable corridors.
“This kind of connectivity delivers measurable results in health, public safety and education.”
Quotes from HyperOne Founder Bevan Slattery:
“With more than 500 million people within 50 milliseconds of Darwin, HyperOne will be transformational for the Territory economy and will make it the digital hub of Northern Australia.
“We are seeing exponential demand for data right across the economy supporting the digital transformation of industries like agriculture, mining and defence and investment in new industries like space, AI and renewable energy.
“I want to see more jobs in regional Australia and that is what HyperOne is all about.