NBN:is australia's copper network fit for purpose ?

[not_an_eloi]

article by nick ross, courtesy of the abc website:

http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2013/09/19/3851924.htm

"There is considerable evidence to suggest that Australia's copper network is in a worse state than those of other nations. How bad is it and can it be fixed? "

in the article, this part is very telling

In Telstra's own words

Telstra currently remains tight lipped about the state of its copper.

But that wasn't always the case. The first significant quote comes from the April 1998 edition of Australian Communications. At the time, Telstra wanted to build a Fibre-to-the-Node network as a competition blocker and get rid of ADSL-based internet. Telstra's Group Manager of Corporate Affairs, Martin Ratia, said: "We are not going to keep archaic technology going just for a couple of service providers who do not want to upgrade... We cannot keep a copper network in this country for half a dozen ISPs who want to make a quid." Around that time, Telstra CEO, Frank Blount, forecast that the customer network would be all Fibre by 2010.

In 2004 a spokesperson said, "Telstra is not interested in pursuing VDSL. We are not trialling VDSL. We see fibre to the premises as the most likely technology to support very high speed access services of the future."

These are telling views of the company's regard of its network but don't explicitly describe its condition. However, the company spelled things out, ten years' ago, in 2003. As Alan Kohler wrote:-

A month ago, before a Senate committee inquiry into broadband competition, Telstra's Bill Scales and Tony Warren rather let the cat out of the bag.
Warren, group manager, regulatory strategy, told the committee: "I think it is right to suggest that ADSL is an interim technology. It is probably the last sweating, if you like, of the old copper network assets. In copper years, if you like, we are at a sort of transition - we are at five minutes to midnight."

A few minutes later his boss, Bill Scales, attempted to bury this bit of candour: "The only point of clarification, just so that there is no misunderstanding, is that when we think about the copper network, we are still thinking about 10 years out. So five minutes to midnight in this context..."

Dr Warren (chiming in): "Doesn't mean five years."

Mr Scales: "It does not. It could be 10 or even 15 years, just to get some context into that."

More recently, Malcolm Turnbull published an FAQ which directly asked, "Isn't Telstra's copper network too degraded to deliver speeds of 25Mb/s to 100Mb/s?" Current Telstra CEO, David Thodey, is quoted in the answer but his observations deal with FTTN speeds in European markets"

read the whole thing, but it's clear that the coalition is tryin' to flog australia, a old outdated communication dog

if it's not fit for its purpose, unfortunately, in this case, we won't simply be able to just return the bloody thing for a refund.

[acacia_pycnantha]

I can get broadband internet service via my landline, but my parents who live just a few streets away from me cannot because their telephone connection is a "paired copper wire connection" whatever that means.

What it means is that I can access broadband but they can't unless they lay in a cable (which is a Telstra Bigpond monoploy right now) or go wireless, oh and the wireless network doesn't work in their area either.

[acacia_pycnantha]

And a phone call to Telstra confirms that they are not interested in improving their copper wire connection. They just outright refused to even discuss it.

[*ibis]

the mythical NBN

everyones heard about it, everyone wants it

but no one has ever seen it or used it

is it real?

[silverfaun]

All I want is a faster broadband & I don't care if it's copper to do it.

What I don't want is a super fast Ferrari broadband I'll never really need unless I download movies by the dozen.

What I don't want is a monolith  I'll have to pay for it for decades to come.

Go get em Malcolm.  

[love*today]

They have it here, well some burbs.
They worked the lines in my street 🙂 I did get a call from my internet provider asking if I wanted to hook up to it.....I did but after all the buggering around we discovered that it is not ready for my house yet?! Lol

[purplecarrot-top]

I don't have a house to connect it to. Still travelling and using wireless. That is a real pain at times.

[the_hawk*]

Hey Eloi its the Oz way charge us twice and only provide half a service.

Even with the NBN when it eventually happens it will only bring us up to what the world average is now.

[margomeoz]

What is wrong with wireless I have it and love it, my internet is on all day and my Iphone and Ipad are connected to it too.

What more can you want seems as fast as I need even for listing.

[the_hawk*]

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@margomeoz wrote:

What is wrong with wireless I have it and love it, my internet is on all day and my Iphone and Ipad are connected to it too.

What more can you want seems as fast as I need even for listing.

---

Hi Margo, again if you missed it on that other vanishing thread.

3G wireless is very hit and miss depending on location, Opus in the major cities is all but useless yet is regional towns it works great. 

The main cause is too many users attemping to connect to the same tower and it causes congestion and the service all but stops for everyone.

And before you say Testra is better they are stating to have thge same issues now their plans are a little more competitive

If you are getting a good service you have a lot of luck on your side