Australia’s opposition promises more fibre in national broadband diet Australia's shadow communications minister Jason Clare has promised to deploy more fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections on Australia's national broadband network (NBN) should the opposition Labor party (ALP) of which he is a member win the nation's next election. Clare hasn't revealed just how the ALP will re-introduce …
Give it a few more elections are we will probably have NO broadband capability.
Our local NBN fixed wireless tower arrived a couple of months ago. Connectivity is expected sometime in 2016 when the others in the cluster are complete.
I'd prefer to have FTTP but I'm sure that soon-to-be-working wireless* is probably a better deal than something that may or may not be arriving via a Telstra duct sometime in the next few years, possibly, depending on an election result.
*Our ISP is offering a "Bronze plan of 12/1 Mbps" and a "Silver plan of 25/5 Mbps" so I'm guessing there'll be Gold (50/10?) and possibly Platinum (100/25?) fixed wireless plans at some point in the future. I've been told by an NBN bod that the tower hardware is capable of 100/100 Mbps. This may be better than squeezing data down some corroded Telstra copper in a leaky duct. It's certainly better than our current ADSL1. Even the slowest wireless plan is faster with 50% more data and lower cost per month. I'm happy.
Except that like most people, you don't understand that wireless is a CONTENTION-BASED system.
The bandwidth available from your wireless tower is SHARED between all of the people using it. You don't and cannot be allocated a guaranteed 12/1Mbps or 25/5 Mbps, and there certainly WON'T be a platinum 100/25 service.
Once it is hooked up and many people start using it, expect real, usable bandwidth to plummet.
When they privatize the NBN I just hope that they don't let Telstra buy shares. It would be nice to own a little parcel of the new monopoly carrier, and watch Telstra get screwed for once.
I bet it will go the other way though, Telstra owning most of the shares, gaining the infrastructure for a pittance, and we are back to the bending over for them.
Not to mention the gall of Telstra telling the ACCC they should be able to increase wholesale prices, due to less people being on copper, because of the churn numbers to NBN, which Telstra were already compensated for.
I'm sure Satan's down there rubbing his hands in glee at the number of Telstra managers heading his way when they die.
Don't under estimate Telstra, They were smart.
They knew their old copper network is already well and truly f@%#ed beyond repair and managed to sell it to NBN company for $30 million I think it was or something like that. lol
The ONLY way to do it properly is to run FTTP!
Seems expensive up front but it turns out cheaper in the long run, Idiots in government don't care for "long term" as they only want results now to boost their party.
The cost of the fibre cable has dropped substantially already when NBN was only on the drawing board.
The cost to maintain FTTN and then have to go back and replace it anyway will exceed FTTP's initial cost in the long run. All while Australia falls behind in global broadband speeds and with it potential new start up business's that could have boosted economy and created jobs.
Wasn't $30 Million. To quote Turnbull they didn't need to change the $11B price for the orignal use of the ducts and pits. But what he forgets to tell you is the $1B+ maitience cost to keep all that copper running than is would have with fibre. Or asbestos and remediation cost that was covered by Telstra which had a Budget of $2B but soon found out was going to cost a lot more.
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