Dipper & Boomer’s NBN Game

AFL legends Dipper and Boomer host first NBN-enabled Aussie Rules coaching session

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Melbourne played host to a NBN backed Grand Final training session earlier today, which saw Hawthorn legend and Brownlow medallist Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico give footy tips to local South Morang children via a highspeed, HD video link delivered over the fibre network.

The youngsters also received on-the-ground training from North Melbourne’s Brent “Boomer” Harvey.

The keenly timed demo is “to showcase the opportunities for sports stars of tomorrow” National Broadband Network Co. said today, and comes as the fibre network was switched on today in South Morang, Melbourne North, hitting 2,300 premises.

“The superfast broadband network being rolled out right across the country will open up all sorts of exciting opportunities for kids in cities, the regions and the bush to get up close to the world’s greatest sports stars right from their lounge room or their backyard,” Dipper said.

“The last time I played in a Grand Final was in 1989 – two years before the invention of the world wide web. The sorts of things people can do over the NBN today would have seemed like sciencefiction back then.”

NBN Co, who has recently come under fire for missing construction targets, is aiming to “have commenced or be completed” for 690,000 homes and businesses across the state by mid-2015.

Construction has already commenced on almost 50,000 premises in Victoria, including 9,700 in South Morang, Mill Park and Bundoora areas.

The NBN was first launched in the state at Brunswick, inner Melbourne last year and rural and regional communities in Vic have also begun receiving services via fixed wireless and satellite.

“Every home, school and workplace in Australia will be connected to the NBN within the next decade.Better broadband won’t just deliver a step change in the way we work, it will have an impact on theway we structure our leisure time too,” Kieren Cooney NBN Co’s Chief Communications Officer said.

It wil also opening up the prospect of more channels and more video streams in high definition.