Shocker: Aussies to build own open-access (100Mbps+) fiber backbone

[depakid]

Source: ARS Technica

In a surprising announcement today, Australia kicked off its AUS$43 billion "National Broadband Network," which it calls the "single largest national-building infrastructure project in Australian history." Not only will the fiber network reach all the way to 90 percent of Australia's homes, but it will also be open access and available for use by any ISP.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) scheme has been progressing for some time, but when we last looked in on it in 2008, it was a fiber-to-the-node plan that would offer Australians 12Mbps minimum connections. It was also going to be built by a private company, but incumbent telcos like Telstra (which was government-owned into the 1990s) quickly began to make noise about the open access rules—such conditions might not offer enough of a return on investment.

Critics were aghast. Why would the government invest taxpayer money into a private network that might neuter the open access rules? And why bother at all with fiber-to-the-node, when Telstra's last-mile copper network would still be needed for last-mile access at low speeds? The Rudd government appears to agree with critics. Telstra's bid was disqualified last year for not meeting the project criteria, and the government has decided to get directly involved in a much faster "next-gen" network.

Today's announcement signaled the government's intent to create a private/public company to build the new network, with the government owning at least a 51 percent stake. The goal is a fiber-to-the-home network that will reach 90 percent of Australian homes; the rest will be linked with 12Mbps minimum wireless and satellite connections. The new company will build and operate the network, but the NBN will feature "separation between the infrastructure provider and retail service providers." Australia's future Internet will depend exclusively on this fiber backbone (it's possible that private companies will build another one, though the cost of such a redundant system makes this unlikely), but the backbone will be open to any ISP.

Read more: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/shocker-aussies-to-build-own-open-access-fiber-backbone.ars

---

Rudd showing everyone how to do it right, again.

[high density]

1. I thought they just enacted legislation to censor the internet?

Without porn, who needs 12+mbps? :evilgrin:

[depakid]

2. You heard wrong

That was never going anywhere (other than to embarrass Stephen Conroy, a buffoon on the Labor right).

The situation's really laughable- with an Aussie dentist being blacklisted in one of meager trials (which the major ISP's have boycotted). Conroy's excuse: "the Russian mafia did it!"

:rofl:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/home/technology/conroy-uses-russian-mob-defence/2009/03/27/1237657120642.html

Bottom line- the test was meant to be tried and fail- and in any case, the Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate, and they're laughing just everyone else about Conroy's pet project.

[Lance_Boyle]

3. open access to a censored network

Smart move, upside-downers.

[depakid]

5. Can you not read?

or like most arrogant Americans, can't you be bothered with the facts?

[Lance_Boyle]

13. You're not very good with timestamps, are you?

Jackass.

[aquart]

4. Wow. Pity America never thinks of things like this.

[Mithreal]

6. Maybe if we were starting from scratch?

President Obama signed into law on Tuesday the $787 billion stimulus package, which includes $7.2 billion for broadband grant and loan programs.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10165726-38.html

[Dogmudgeon]

7. But how would we be able to justify $50/month for 1 MBPS broadband?

Capitalism is the most efficient, most productive socio-techno-economic system known to Man and/or Extraterrestrials.

Except when it's not.

--d!

[harmonicon]

8. $50/month? Seriously?

I pay less than 1/2 of that for 10Mbps in the UK.

[groundloop]

9. And I'll wager your service

is a damn sight better than my comcast "high speed" internet. Ours is the perfect example of free enterprise run amuck.

[denem]

10. Aussie censorship went out the door when an anti-abortion site

was put onto an informal government black list. Yes there were graphic pictures definitively not suitable for children, and then the conservative christian right, suddenly got to thinking ....

[Regret My New Name]

11. Big B is different than little b...

I have 16Mbit connection downstream for 'bout that.

[denem]

12. Actually it's 100 Mbits to the door. The backbone will be giga/terrabits.

Majority Government owned, 90% of the population with a 100 Mbit node.