The Vocus Group telecommunications company has entered a contract with the Barossa Joint Venture to build, operate and own a high-capacity submarine fibre optic network for the proposed Barossa offshore gas project in the Bonaparte Basin, to the north of Darwin.

Australia's second biggest telco Optus has welcomed the draft decision by the ACCC stemming from its NBN wholesale service standards inquiry, saying that the inquiry should hold the NBN Co to account for service standards expected by retail service providers and end-users.

Competition by wholesale access seekers to connect to the National Broadband Network is heating up, with at least nine wholesalers now connecting directly to the NBN and with over 6.1 million residential broadband services being delivered by the NBN across Australia.