back to article Malcolm Turnbull's run Australia's NBN for two years. How's he done?

One of the big issues at Australia's 2013 election was the nation's National Broadband Network (NBN). Championed by the then-Labor government, the project was pitched as a nation-building effort to re-wire Australia with optical fibre, but cast as a failed black hole for cash by the then-opposition Liberal/National Party …

  1. Diogenes

    One wrong prediction

    In the next few weeks the FTTN that replaces ADSL out of Gorokan Exchange will be up & running(according to letterbox drops). GORO has/d a waiting list for vacant ports and there was no capacity in the exchange for a new DSLAM, so those on the waiting list should be really quick to connect.

    I am looking forward to FTTN 1st half next year - I was never ever on ANY rollout forecast until two weeks ago and 25 is better than 12-15 (dropping to @ 8 when ants nest in the pillarjoint that we have instead of a pit)

    1. Jasonk

      Re: One wrong prediction

      There are not replacing your copper so expect the same problems you already have.

      During the transition NBN is only required to deliver a 12Mbps once a day of you can get better great if that's all you cant get tough luck. After the transition is a 25Mbps once a day.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Same old same old

    Good report, well written.

    However, the outcome is still the same here: No NBN, no chance of getting the NBN and stuck on 3Mbps (max).

    We could have been champions.

  3. Medixstiff

    What a sorry state the nbn is...

    I was reading one of the local Mandurah (Western Australia) papers yesterday and a few little ones in the Red Rooster nearly got an earful of choice words, because low and behold, there's Malcolm Turncoat on page 3 crowing about the Canning by-election candidate and how thanks to the nbn, Mandurah has fast internet speeds. Of course he forgot to point out Mandurah is one of the only sites with FTTP or that it was a first release site under Labor's rule.

    I respected Malcolm once but now he's one of the worst word twisting gutter scum politicians we have down under. Three times I've thrown coins into the Kings Park wishing well and a piece of space junk still hasn't taken out Parliament House in Canberra when they are all sitting. On the bright side it's only cost me $6 so far but if it does happen, I'll have saved Australia from untold bad decisions and god knows how much wasted money on pork barreling and pet projects we don't need.

    1. mark 177
      Thumb Up

      Re: What a sorry state the nbn is...

      If it works I'll refund your outlay x10!

  4. Visitant

    12/1 seriously?

    Who decided that 12/1 Mbps can be classified as NBN? What a joke. 25/5 should have been mandated as the bare minimum speed.

    1. mathew42
      FAIL

      Re: 12/1 seriously?

      Labor classified 12/1Mbps as the minimum NBN fibre speed and predicted that 50% would connect at that speed on fibre. Until recently it looked to be their most accurate estimate.

      The latest numbers (30th June 2015) stated that on fibre 35% are connected at 12Mbps and 42% at 25Mbps. This is likely due to Telstra promoting 25Mbps.

    2. DM2012
      Coat

      Re: 12/1 seriously?

      I live 1km from the centre of Melbourne CBD, and have a naked DSL connection speed of 5.5Mbps. Netflix still runs fine over it. I'll be very happy with 12Mbps and at this rate, I'll even consider it broadband!

      Mine's the one with the passport to get me to a country that has a future.

  5. andro

    while announcing cloud computing first policy 2014

    How can the libs kill FTTP and at the same time provide a policy to use cloud service providers first? Assuming they are attemping to lead and promote the same to businesses how are small and medium businesses meant to use cloud services to their maximum potential without fibre?

    VERSION 3.0 - OCTOBER 2014

    http://www.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/australian-government-cloud-computing-policy-3.pdf

    Non-corporate commonwealth entities are required to use cloud services for new ICT services and when replacing any existing ICT services, whenever the cloud services:

    • are fit for purpose;

    • offer the best value for money, as defined by the Commonwealth Procurement Rules; and

    • provide adequate management of risk to information and ICT assets as defined by the Protective Security Policy Framework

  6. @havyatt

    Transparency?

    So NBN Co publishing weekly less rollout information than It used to quarterly is more transparent. Much less detail in data form about current rollout activity, only maps. Much less detail in latrstCorp Plan that's the one issued three years ago. Not more transparent at all

  7. DesktopGuy

    finally getting somewhere for some..

    I had TPG install FTTB last week as the NBN was not due in our area for at least the next 3 years.

    Funny thing is the day after TPG installed their comms gear in our MDF, a metric crap load of gear was placed in our MDF by the NBN. There is a full size Telco cabinet, 60Kg of batteries to go in the bottom, and also plans on how the gear would connect to the street (which are wrong BTW!)

    Is this a co-incidence or are NBN watching TPG deployments and then making sure anywhere TPG are - they are???

    100Mb/40Mb will be fine by me for either FTTB service…

    1. Jasonk

      Re: finally getting somewhere for some..

      Do you realize that when NBN connect there's you service will be reduced as 2 VDSL signals interfere with each other.

  8. JJKing

    NBN Costs

    $46 - 53Beeeeeellion. How much more is it going to cost to eventually replace the rotting copper? I bet it will be more than the $20Billion variance between the libs $53B and labor's $73B. It should have been done right the first time but no, arrogant abbott has played politics with such an important infrastructure rollout. Much better to throw billions at the coal industry because coal is good for humanity.

    Why have the liberal politicians allowed that pedantic pommie prick to horizontally fertilise this country and it's inhabitants?

    1. mark 177
      Holmes

      Re: NBN Costs

      Mostly agree, but please - no racism!

  9. Martin Budden Silver badge

    No mention that Labor's policy was FTTH?

    The Coalition's policy is FTTN, which will always be crap because it's those last 2km of old copper between node and home which leave us up the proverbial creek. Even if Labor's policy did cost more* we'd be so much better off with FTTH.

    *it needn't have cost more if silly old Howard hadn't already sold the national infrastructure (Telstra).

  10. rtb61

    They did the two things they actually planned to do, hand over billions of tax payer dollars for a network that was going to be scrapped at a loss, a free gift for those who won them the election. They also ensured news corp operated for a few more years with that massive competition from broadband cut off.

    A Royal Commission into the conspiratorial corruption of the NBN and the funnelling of tax payer dollars to private interests would surely produced some custodial sentences.

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