News & Discussion: National Broadband Network

[Waewick]

Update on the 'Howfast is the NBN' comparison site ...
http://howfastisthenbn.com.au/

... by its creator, James Brotchie (via Crikey).
http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/05/10/con ... -nbn-site/

Interesting read.

it is still misleading (well according to what I've read)

the 25mps is the minimum speed you'll get under both - not the maximum under the libs

the download and upload speeds are also very dependent on who and what you are dealing with..

but that is all I know, its an issue that I simply don't understand (and I'm one of those "it sounds like something people who play games and watch porn want)

[zippySA]

I'm excited! I am fortunate enough to have a family beach house down south - and we received a letter slipped under the door from NBN Co giving us the good news that we are now able to connect to the uber-NBN thingy....fantastic news - we don't even have a phone line to the house (and why would we want one....), there is no sewer (everyone is on septic systems) - but I'm ready to roll with my life changing high speed broadband assuming I want to sign up and no doubt pay for all the extra connection challenges this place represents.

Woohoo - am sure the couple of hundred other holiday houses down there will be rushing along to sign up as well and I'll bet the back-bone infrastructure provided to supply this low-density, remote section of the State didn't cost too much for the tax-payer. No doubt when it all gets sold off once the business plan proves right the big internationals will be queuing up to buy our section of the NBN at a premium.

Just a cynical Monday morning shot at this one - no need to tear me to shreds for FTTH supporters - we are all agreed that it will be what it will be post Sept 14th so I will try and move on to other topics to avoid upsetting others

[rubberman]

I'm excited! I am fortunate enough to have a family beach house down south - and we received a letter slipped under the door from NBN Co giving us the good news that we are now able to connect to the uber-NBN thingy....fantastic news - we don't even have a phone line to the house (and why would we want one....), there is no sewer (everyone is on septic systems) - but I'm ready to roll with my life changing high speed broadband assuming I want to sign up and no doubt pay for all the extra connection challenges this place represents.

Woohoo - am sure the couple of hundred other holiday houses down there will be rushing along to sign up as well and I'll bet the back-bone infrastructure provided to supply this low-density, remote section of the State didn't cost too much for the tax-payer. No doubt when it all gets sold off once the business plan proves right the big internationals will be queuing up to buy our section of the NBN at a premium.

Just a cynical Monday morning shot at this one - no need to tear me to shreds for FTTH supporters - we are all agreed that it will be what it will be post Sept 14th so I will try and move on to other topics to avoid upsetting others

I feel your pain.

The problem is that there is no choice between the parties on this - both will end up with fibre to the home, in this sort of situation round the country, no matter what - the reason being that sooner or later the copper will degrade and need to be replaced. The only difference is that it will happen earlier with the FTTH than FTTN, and FTTH will be cheaper, much much cheaper, in the medium to long run. Console yourself that you didn't see cabinets erected at the end of the street, and then in a couple of years, as the copper gives up, those cabinets get junked and you still have fibre coming past which you may or may not want. And you will still have had to pay for the junked cabinets, which you never used, and whose price will be included in your future tariffs should you ever subscribe.

[Wayno]

Cisco Systems has some good thinking on the internet, no surprise i suppose.

Born in the late 1960s, the Internet has evolved through several stages. These include (1) academia (ARPANET), (2) informational (brochureware),
(3) transactional (e-commerce), and (4) social (Web 2.0). Currently, Cisco believes the Internet is entering the Internet of Things stage, and that the Internet of Everything will reach its full potential within the next 10 years

This simple fact puts it into perspective:

todays smartphones are more powerful than ARPANET was in 1977

Read all about the Internet of Everything.

[fabricator]

http://www.afr.com/p/technology/nbn_co_ ... WoiE3iEaVO

NBN Co’s refusal to consider and judge the Coalition’s alternative broadband plan is disappointing and could be a sign of its “lax attitude”, according to independent MP Rob Oakeshott.

Darn he really doesn't get it

NBN Co have judged Coalition’s FTTN plans, they have judged it to be a waste of their time (and government money), considering it is also further waste. If every government department had to stop in the run up to an election, to consider and judge every possible change being proposed by various politicians (regardless of their chances to win office) then even less work would get done.

[Waewick]

I think people really need to calm down

the most likely scenario should the Libs win is business as usual for the NBN co as it will be called "too hard" to change.

The libs will claim they finished it, Labor will claim they started it and we'll all be having this discussion in 20 years time when the product is obsolete anyway

[claybro]

The libs will claim they finished it, Labor will claim they started it and we'll all be having this discussion in 20 years time when the product is obsolete anyway

Obsolete? how have you got away with this comment? Don't you know that the fibre is going to last one million years, never need maintenance and will allow for teleportation of commuters in 50 years so we don't have to rebuild South road?

[rubberman]

I think people really need to calm down

the most likely scenario should the Libs win is business as usual for the NBN co as it will be called "too hard" to change.

The libs will claim they finished it, Labor will claim they started it and we'll all be having this discussion in 20 years time when the product is obsolete anyway

I would have thought that given the grief the present Government has had over 'broken' (as opposed to 'non-core') promises, the Coalition will plough ahead regardless of the fact that it is an inferior and much more costly scheme.

At the very least, one should give the present Coalition the benefit of the doubt that they will do what they promise, until they say otherwise. Come on fellas, I am trying to keep a straight face here.

No. The choice is clear - ALP and FTTH or Coalition and much more expensive and technically inferior FTTN.

[claybro]

No. The choice is clear - ALP and FTTH or Coalition and much more expensive and technically inferior FTTN.

On this you are quite correct. And going by the polls, and lack of discussion out in the community re the NBN I would say the choice has been made.

[fabricator]

Obsolete? how have you got away with this comment? Don't you know that the fibre is going to last one million years, never need maintenance and will allow for teleportation of commuters in 50 years so we don't have to rebuild South road?

The electronics at each end of the fibre is easily replaced, should it be needed.
Actually no one is 100% sure how long the fibre cable continues to work for. Corning say its 25 years, but there is yet to be a single fibre strand anywhere in the world that has died of old age.

The reasons for replacing a section is its been broken, or has had so many joins added it starts to degrade the light. The reasons for abandoning fibre are limited to, no long need a service to that area, company gone broke and the usual Cable has inbuilt repeaters and is a submarine cable on the bottom of the ocean.

[Vee]

Good article on "Which broadband policy should Australia adopt?"
NewsWeekly by Francis Young.
http://www.newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=5583

"Now is Australia's moment to build FTTP (FTTH) in all towns and cities."

[Vee]

Melbourne University has published an independent comparison of party broadband policies on its electionwatch 2013 site.
It includes comparative tables of technologies, analysis, speed and cost differences and comments on future demands/needs, impact of mobile devices and energy consumption needs.

http://2013electionwatch.com.au/policy/broadband

via @electionwatch_
(Note underscore at end)

[monotonehell]

Melbourne University has published an independent comparison of party broadband policies on its electionwatch 2013 site.
It includes comparative tables of technologies, analysis, speed and cost differences and comments on future demands/needs, impact of mobile devices and energy consumption needs.

http://2013electionwatch.com.au/policy/broadband

via @electionwatch_
(Note underscore at end)

Summarises everything that we've already said, plus the interesting point that the Lib's plan will be obsolete one year after completion.

Everyone should read this if they still think the Lib's plan saves us money. It really doesn't.

[claybro]

Everyone should read this if they still think the Lib's plan saves us money. It really doesn't.

So just to recap, the very left wing Melbourne University, has an article on "election watch" shouting the virtues of the NBN. They even have a photo of the very professor from the NBN TV adds in their article. So we now know which university the lovely professor who simply cant exist without his NBN in the TV add comes from. So much for being unbiased. So then where do they get their costing figures from? The NBNCO? The same Co that is way behind schedule and WAY over budget and under their take up target in areas connected even before this gets off the ground?

OK sarcasm aside, just as a lay person, who really wants to get on board with this, lets look at their facts. So the figure (even in this article is now $44BIL) I thought it was $35 BIL last year. Ok so what's a few billion you say. That increase in cost is over 1 year and it has not even got off the ground yet. How can we possibly know it will stop at $44BIL. Ah but even at $100BIL it would be worth it eh, because as is constantly pointed out, UPLOAD speeds are as important as DOWNLOAD. Yeh I get that, but aren't the upload and download speeds identical under both systems in wireless and satellite devices, and given that is what the vast majority of people are connected to, via smart phones and Ipads I am still at a loss to understand why every home will be connected. People do not plug their tablets into a wall jack at home to browse.
Also, organisations such as unis, hospitals and the like that require the added capacity of cable to premises will be able to connect to cable under both systems, as it should be.
Should K Rudd win the next election, this will become a very big rope around the governments neck as far as bad publicity (poor execution of the project, cost over runs, delays and poor uptake), and financial drain. Just watch as he backflips and scales down or delays aspect of this project as well, once it becomes political poison.

[Norman]

given that is what the vast majority of people are connected to, via smart phones and Ipads I am still at a loss to understand why every home will be connected. People do not plug their tablets into a wall jack at home to browse.

No, but they do connect to the Wi-Fi in their own homes, which is connected via the NBN.