OPTUS PICKS ADELAIDE FOR SMB CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Optus' newly-formed Small to Medium Business (SMB) Division has chosen Adelaide to establish a Centre of Excellence in customer care.

Call centre roles for advanced SMB products such as Optus Business Broadband will be moved from Sydney and Melbourne to Adelaide from the beginning of September, consolidating Optus SMB's already strong presence in South Australia.

Optus currently employs around 1500 people in South Australia, with around 250 SMB staff in sales and customer service roles in two Adelaide locations. In the new Centre of Excellence, approximately 10 new positions will be created in the South Australian SMB team.

"Optus is pleased to extend its SMB presence and increase its level of investment in South Australia," Scott Lorson, Managing Director, Optus SMB said. "We also recently announced a $5 million investment to extend our fibre optic cable network through metropolitan Adelaide by up to 100km, providing competitive voice and high speed data services to more than 400 South Australian businesses. "There has been a distinctive lack of access to competitive business broadband in many parts of South Australia which has resulted in high pricing and sub-optimal take up of telco services. We expect our network extension will significantly contribute to increasing broadband penetration in Adelaide and allow SMBs to take advantage of a full suite of voice and internet communications solutions."

Today, Optus also celebrates the first anniversary of its Small Business Centre at Naylor House in Adelaide, a $2.5 million investment which employs 120 people. "Last year Optus' Small Business Centre extended phone-based outbound and inbound sales activities to include mobile, fixed line and internet products.Establishing Optus' SMB Centre of Excellence takes this a step further and will help us improve service levels to SMBs and stimulate broadband use," Mr Lorson said. "South Australia represents a significant SMB market opportunity for Optus. Among all Australian states and territories, South Australia has the second lowest proportion of small businesses using computers and the internet¹. We can help those businesses create a competitive advantage through improved communication solutions. "Optus has invested $250 million in infrastructure in South Australia and we look forward to increasing our commitment to the State. Optus also provides mobile coverage to 93 per cent of the State's population," Mr Lorson said.

Media contacts:

Claire Hosegood/ Sarah Turner

Optus Corporate Affairs

Tel: 02 9342 5042/02 9342 8432

1 Characteristics of Small Business Australia by the Australian Bureau of Statistics report – updated 29/4/05