SA launches broadband network

South Australian Minister for Science and Information Economy Karlene Maywald will this week launch a new broadband network worth more than $1.1 million.

Established as part of the state government's $7 million broadband development fund, the network is a joint initiative between the government, City of Salisbury and telecommunications provider Amcom.

The government is contributing $550,000 to the "Connecting Salisbury" network, which is the first metropolitan council to offer broadband services. City of Salisbury Mayor Tony Zappia said it will allow businesses in the area to compete more effectively.

"It was imperative that we eliminated significant blackspots affecting a proportion of businesses that were either too far from the telecommunications exchanges, or operating on incompatible infrastructure," he said.

"As the fastest growing city in South Australia, it makes sense that we are working to gain strong economic development infrastructure that will assist our city to grow."

The government is encouraging other councils to develop similar projects.