The Australian government has launched the first services over the National Broadband Network (NBN) in mainland Australia.
The wholesale networks has been switched on for some residents of the town of Armidale, NBN Co revealed.
ISPs Internode, iiNet, iPrimus and Telstra are the first operators to provide services on the mainland.
Internode and iiNet both yesterday said they had activated services for their first two Armidale customers.
Communications minister Stephen Conroy announced that full-scale commercial services would commence in Armidale in September, after which AAPT, AARNet, Comscentre, Exetel, Nextgen Networks, Optus, Platform Networks, SkyMesh and Vodafone Hutchison Australia will launch their own retail offerings.
He said more than 87% of Armidale residents had so far signed up to be connected to the network.
The remaining four of five first release sites would be activated in the next few months, Conroy said.
The government's strategy for the NBN involves concentrating rollouts in rural areas first, starting with the historically underserved island state of Tasmania. The first trial NBN services debuted in the state last year.
But despite the government's progress with the network, the A$39.5 billion ($41.9 billion) project could still be scrapped if the opposition Coalition wins government at the next federal election in 2013.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott this week said the Coalition will dump the NBN if it wins power, although shadow treasurer Joe Hockey yesterday admitted that the extent to which it would be able to wind back the project depends on how many contracts the government signs between now and then.