The digital TV signal was picked up in Yarrulumla about 2 kilometers away from the National Convention Center with a pair of rabbit ears on an engineer's desk.

"It was then injected into GrangeNet over an IPv6 multicast, so it came in across the fiber straight across the floor and into the projection screen on our access grid. Because it came through an access grid it was also broadcast to people watching [the multicast] in Townsville, Rockhampton, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth," said GrangeNet's executive director Paul Davis. "So that's a world first."

GrangeNet started building its 10Gbps native IPv6 network in March 2002 with funding from Australia's Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) and was launched seven months later.

A number of scientists and researchers are now developing projects that rely on GrangeNet's network. Programs range from an endangered language and linguistics study, to a telemicroscopy where microscopes right across Australia are connected to GrangeNet's high performance IPv6 network.

"We have a tremendous range of people now using our network for exciting projects - particle physicists, astronomers, even sporting coaches," said Davis.