After making its debut last year, Internode is distinguished as the only broadband specialist supplier on this year's Top 500 list and one of only two communication services businesses included: The other was prepaid telephone card company GoTalk.

Reporting 2007-08 revenues of $116 million, Internode recorded a growth rate of 38.6 per cent, a strong performance in a year when overall revenues for the Top 500 companies declined by $20 billion from last year's peak of $195 billion.

Internode CEO Patrick Tapper said Internode's major achievement in the Top 500 list was the consistency of its growth. "Both last year and this year, we've achieved revenue growth of about $30 million," he sad.

"As well as the strong market for retail and small business broadband services, we are winning an increasing share of corporate and enterprise business, especially through custom-designed communication services such as Internode Business Connect private IP networks."

"To support that growth, we've now grown to more than 330 employees nationally. However we remain conscious that Internode is essentially a customer service company. We want to maintain a manageable growth rate that allows us to continue delighting our customers with our innovation and attentiveness."

In its second year on the BRW Top 500 Private Companies list, Internode improved its position from 446 to 413. During the year, the company also grew employee numbers by 11.5 per cent to a total of 329 at the end of June 2008.

Inclusion in the BRW Top 500 listing is Internode's second accolade in two weeks: In mid-August, Internode founder and managing director Simon Hackett was acknowledged by the Comms Alliance as its 2008 Telecommunications Ambassador, recognising his strong leadership and significant contribution to the Australian communications industry.