Internet in Christmas Island is supplied by Speedcast. According to the

2016 Australian census The 2016 Australian census was the 17th national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as – an incre ...

, 78.5% of the population accessed the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

from home.

History

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

's Internet services were previously supplied by Christmas Island Internet Administration Limited (CiiA), but were cut on 1 March 2017, affecting about 1000 customers' 4G and

fixed wireless Fixed wireless is the operation of wireless communication devices or systems used to connect two fixed locations (e.g., building to building or tower to building) with a radio or other wireless link, such as laser bridge. Usually, fixed wireles ...

services.

Landline A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which uses ...

and 2G services were not affected. The company stated it was forced to close because it could not compete with the

National Broadband Network The National Broadband Network (NBN) is an Australian 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 provider ...

(NBN). CiiA lodged a complaint 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 ...

to stop the NBN rollout, but failed. The

Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development was an Australian Government department that existed between September 2013 and December 2017. Matters dealt with by the department included: infrastructure planning and coordination; tra ...

stated the company had refused financial support. On 14 March 2017, Speedcast announced it had reached an agreement with the Australian Government to deliver wireless and 4G services until 30 June of the same year, to allow a transition period until more NBN services were installed. Minister for Local Government and Territories

Fiona Nash Fiona Joy Nash (née Morton; born 6 May 1965) is a former Australian politician. She served as a Senator for New South Wales from 2005 to 2017, representing the National Party. She was the party's deputy leader from 2016 to 2017 and was a ca ...

thanked SpeedCast for "stepping in to provide an internet service that will get Christmas Island back online."

References

Communications in Christmas Island {{Internet-stub

History

See also

References