Intercity fibre network starts with Sydney–Canberra route

A new optical fibre link between Sydney and Canberra will soon come online.

Telstra InfraCo will bring the first section of its national Intercity Fibre Network online next month, with the Sydney–Canberra coastal route set to begin service on 25 June.

The high-capacity link is the first completed segment of a 20,000 km dual-cable fibre backbone that aims to connect all mainland capital cities by the end of FY27.

Billed as critical infrastructure to accommodate Australia’s surging data needs, the network features express and regional foundation paths, with over 4,000 km of fibre laid to date. The initial route includes on/off-ramp infrastructure designed to support access in regional locations – an architecture aimed at reducing latency for large-scale data movement while increasing network resilience and redundancy.

The build incorporates ultra-low-loss fibre to facilitate data transfer rates at scale. Telstra claims capacity between capital cities could reach up to 80 Tbps on dedicated dark fibre. Two other product layers – Direct Spectrum and Wavelength – offer incremental bandwidth options of up to 15.2 Tbps and 400 Gbps respectively, catering to varying customer control and management needs.

While marketed toward hyperscalers, enterprise, and government clients, the foundation path’s open-access points have potential implications for regional connectivity.

Access nodes could support emerging demands in mining, defence, telehealth, and digital education – sectors often hampered by legacy backhaul infrastructure.

From a technical delivery perspective, the project has faced significant engineering challenges.

Telstra cites construction through mountainous and rocky terrain, along with coordination across multiple stakeholder groups, including landowners and traditional owners.

Once complete, the Intercity Fibre Network will integrate with Telstra InfraCo’s broader infrastructure footprint, including its Asia-Pacific subsea cable network and national terrestrial assets.

The Canberra–Melbourne and Sydney–Melbourne coastal routes are expected to go live in early FY26, with all three currently available for pre-order.