Australian National Broadband Network Releases 3-Year Plan 121
New submitter pcritter writes "The Australian Government has just announced the 3-year roll-out plan for its ambitious National Broadband Network. The plan details 3.5 million premises (30%) across the country to be connected to the NBN by mid-2015. A map is available showing coverage areas. The plan represents a major milestone in the NBN project, which aims to connect all of Australia with high speed broadband by 2021, with the 93% of the population on fiber to the premises (FTTP) of speeds up to 1000Mbits, and the rest on fixed wireless or satellite."
No singing or dancing... (Score:1, Insightful)
Now if they gave the people 1000Mbits at current adsl prices, then we could sing and dance about this. The crazy thing is that there is no real benefit for the people, the cost of broadband will still be the same as what people pay now for the lowest bandwidth (adsl equiv) entry to the NBN. In fact it will probably cost more for the people, we have to pay for this with taxes as well. This is just one big pork barrel project.
Re:Judgement (Score:4, Insightful)
I'd like to apologise for the ill-informed comments from the "Aussies" above who think that Australia's current telecommunications infrastructure is "good". When areas 5kms from the cities CBD can't get broadband because of the incumbant telco, or are forced to use wireless that drops out when it rains, or aren't in the big three cities so there is no chance of broadband delivered by the cable network, or ... Problems that probably affect every other first world nation where warped conservative, fascist ideology has driven communications infrastructure deployment.
The NBN is already delivering benefits. They've significantly altered the backhaul networks around Australia so anyone who doesn't live in Sydney or Melbourne have the chance of receiving ADSL at a competitive rate (for the non-Aussies, and people who live in Sydney/Melbourne, Australia is more than just those two cities). They've managed to get the incumbant telco to agree to seperate their wholesale and retail arms and hand over infrastructure to NBNCo. More importantly they are actually building infrastructure that will be used for generations and will offer a return to successive Governments.
The Coalition's plan is to sell off what has been built already (because private industry can do it better, the same private industry that sat on their hands for the last 20 years..) to deploy wireless to some places (and do nothing about the gouging which the private companies do with wireless data whilst offering blistering fast speeds of up to 12Mbps) and a combination of FTTN/DSL/Cable to marginal electorates. Spending anywhere from $11 - 20b in the process.
Re:Judgement (Score:1, Insightful)
>>They've managed to get the incumbant telco to agree to seperate their wholesale and retail arms and hand over infrastructure to NBNCo.
This is a gross misrepresentation of the situation. The government is paying Telstra $11 Billion for access to its pits and manholes and the sale of _some_ of its infrastructure - they're certainly not handing over anything.
And private industry has historically been less effective in Australian telecommunications due to the dirty great monopoly of Telstra - which is just being replaced by the dirty great monopoly of the NBN.
How Dare those Liberal Communists!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Everyone knows that the best way to have the fastest wireless and internet service is to have a free market system. I mean, my free market AT&T service is spectacular giving me at least 2kbps (at least when there is no one else on the network), which is perfect for... well.. Wireless is VERY expensive to do and people in the US could never afford 1000M anyway. Also, the US is WAY to large for 1000M wireless internet... Oh, and having 1000M wireless internet wouldn't be safe anyway because of... terrorists..
The point is everyone knows that a free market system where private enterprise blazes the way is always the best path to prosperity. I mean its like American and stuff...
(Brought to you by the American Telecom Industry)
Re:And it's mostly areas that have decent ADSL cov (Score:5, Insightful)
No, it doesn't.
Most of the country has slow, horrifically overpriced ADSL, which is patchy even in some urban areas. The Telcos were not and are not doing anything about it. The government stepping in is exactly what was needed.
Re:strewth, Bruce! (Score:2, Insightful)
No .... Uhhhh .... No ..... If you're going to mock Aussie slang atleast slag it off properly.
Tinny? You mean stubbie ..
Re:Well, does it? (Score:5, Insightful)
Several issues but the key word would have to be
"jesus"
Re:And it's mostly areas that have decent ADSL cov (Score:3, Insightful)
Even though I get 13Mbit~ at a good price, fibre is still very necessary as we're already starting to push the limits of what's available to us today. What I try and explain to people is that this is infrastructure that all communications will pass through for decades to come. It's one of the first times in my life where I can think of the Australian government really being ambitious with infrastructure development. The applications for this will be huge, it's much more than just triple-play. There's the possibility for telemedicine, telesurgery and of course, more telecommuting than ever before.
In 6 months they'll be starting NBN roll-out in my neighbourhood, and I'll be able to get 100/40 for what I think is a reasonable price that will only fall in the years to come.