EMERSON Network Power has won the contract to build ten network facilities centres around Australia for NBN Co, in a deal worth more than $100 million.
The network facilities centres will house network management equipment and core network equipment for wireless and satellite networks.
Emerson will supply the structures and the power and cooling systems for the centres and will be responsible for their design and construction.
Each capital city (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide) will have two facilities by the end of 12 months. In addition to housing wireless and satellite equipment, the sites will also be part of NBN Co’s transit backhaul network that will provide backhaul from its fibre access nodes that do not have access to competitive backhaul.
Where there is competitive backhaul the fibre access node will be a PoI for access seekers. The network however will connect to all FANs/PoI to carry NBN Co’s signalling and network management traffic.
Emerson took the contract because of its modular offering, which allows fast and cost-effective deployment of the sites. Emerson products which will be included in the sites include the Trinergy and ASCO high-efficiency power systems, Liebert precision cooling systems and SmartAisle optimisation, SiteScan infrastructure monitoring and management, and fully integrated, factory-tested modular housing systems.
Emerson Network Power Australia is adding on staff to its Australian workforce to deliver the project, and has said it will be using around 90 percent local products and services.