Australian ISP Internode has announced a $10 million network expansion plan that will almost double the capacity of its ADSL2+ broadband network.

The network expansion will involve Internode installing its own broadband equipment at 57 new telephone exchanges nationally and will also expand capacity at 115 telephone exchanges where equipment is already installed.

Upon completion of the 12-month expansion, Internode will operate almost 100,000 of its own ADSL2+ broadband ports. The company currently operates more than 50,000 ports at 120 telephone exchanges nationally.

Internode says more than half of the new exchanges are located in Victoria, but a major beneficiary of the expansion program will be Tasmania, where Internode will install its DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) equipment at an additional 10 telephone exchanges. Currently, Internode has equipment at only two Tasmanian exchanges.

Internode CEO Patrick Tapper said the investment was a crucial way of "meeting Internode's needs for the next three or four years."

"This is to both meet the needs of our growing customer base and to avoid the logjam that occurs when we and other ISPs want to install equipment in telephone exchanges run by Telstra. If we do it well in advance, then we avoid delays that can cause demand to get ahead of delivery."

Tapper said the upgrades to the network means Internode will "continue to offer better value and quality services to our customers".

"Internode is committed to building its own roads, so we can guarantee the quality of service we deliver and avoid being held back by the speed bumps that other companies might impose on their networks."

The ADSL2+ expansion comes after Internode recently increased data allowances for its NodeMobile Data service.