Sol Trujillo is blaming ‘government regulations’ for pulling Telstra out of a $4 billion fibre-optic backbone network for Australia. In fact, what Trujillo wants is to prevent competitors using the Telstra network or make access cost prohibitive for them. Trujillo’s position is not unlike those of the US telcos currently embroiled in the network neutrality debate, where telcos want to provide tiered-speed access to those who can pay more. (ABC Radio National PM Audio: MP3, 4:45)
For once, I’m on Helen Coonan’s side. Coonan wants any new Telstra network to be available to all competitors at the same wholesale rates. All networks should pass all traffic from all other networks, without preference and certainly without hindrance.
If SOMEONE started laying fibre in the ground in Australia tomorrow, it’d be 10 years before the country was cabled… and we’re already 10 years behind the US, Japan and Korea. In terms of broadband availability across the country, Australia lags well behind other, even smaller nations like Iceland and Luxembourg!
To hell with fibre; how about free community wireless broadband?
Stuff the network barons.
-weez
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A decade ago Nicholas Negroponte warned us not to be “digitally homeless.” Australians got on board and got wired in great numbers.
What do we do when the land underneath our house slowly erodes away and nothing is done to stop the inevitable collapse?
Comment by suki 08.07.06 @ 11:09 pmIf you think it’s hard getting Telstra to live up to the Universal Service Agreement while it is still majority owned by the government, wait until its sold.
Regional telecom users would do well to keep that ball of twine handy, because that’s the only fibre network they’re likely to get.
Comment by weez 08.07.06 @ 11:23 pmLeave a comment
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