A new privately owned microwave communications system giving Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students the same high speed access to the internet as enjoyed by their metropolitan counterparts, will be launched at 11 am at the Grange, Bathurst Campus this Thursday 11 March.

The faster internet service is one of the benefits of a $5.6 million project to link information and communications technology between the University’s main campuses.

The new technology - the largest microwave system ever installed by an Australian university - allows voice calls, internet traffic and videoconferencing to be converged into one network, substantially reducing the University’s operating costs.

The link utilises microwave dishes on 15 repeater towers and five campus sites covering 750 kilometres in a line from Albury to Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Dubbo with a direct connection to a central hub in Sydney.

The official launch of this project signifies that CSU staff and students now have access to Sydney for the cost of a local call. The increase in megabyte capacity from two to 32 megabytes per second provides students with access to world wide information transmitted at a lower cost.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cliff Blake, said the new microwave technology allows CSU to maintain its lead in the marketplace as a cost conscious university that provides quality education both on campus and at a distance.

“CSU on-line will indeed be a virtual university, especially suited to students with a computer in their home or workplace, regardless of where they live,” Professor Blake said.

Jointly funded by the University and the Commonwealth Rationalisation and Restructuring Program, announced in the Federal Government’s 1997 Budget, the network was designed and built by AAP Communication Services (AAPCS), who will also provide ongoing maintenance and management.

The new system has boosted the University’s number of courses on-line from 32 just over 12 months ago to 500, further cementing CSU’s position as the largest provider of distance education in Australia.