NBN Discussion

[ajw373]

When was the last time we did a wholesale brownfields replacement of our communications infrastructure?

In my time I can only really recall the Foxtel and Optus cable rollouts both of which only ended up in the main capital cities and even then not everywhere.

And close to my home in Canberra the Transact rollout of VDSL (interestingly the predecessor of what NBN's FTTN technology) about 20 odd years ago. And that only went to where there was overhead power (about 45% of Canberra) as Transact was owned by the local power company and could not get access to Telstra pits and conduit like NBN is getting now. And even more interesting Transact has upgraded to VDSL2 which is what NBN is using and is being overbuilt by NBN. So duplicating an existing service.

 

[drsmithy]

When was the last time we did a wholesale brownfields replacement of our communications infrastructure?

Well, we somehow managed to get a phone to basically every home in the country.

Getting fibre to every home is basically the same thing.

Getting fibre just past nearly every home is a substantially lesser task, but apparently we can't even manage that anymore.

 

[ajw373]

Most of the phone network was greenfields built when suburbs were new or incremental upgrade or replacement.

There has not been an NBN style wholesale replacement or, except for the onesi mentioned a major rebuild in this country to date.

Subtle but key difference.

 

[straitman]

Most of the phone network was greenfields built when suburbs were new or incremental upgrade or replacement.

There has not been an NBN style wholesale replacement or, except for the onesi mentioned a major rebuild in this country to date.

Subtle but key difference.

A lot more significant than subtle IMHO.

 

[travelislife]

Well, we somehow managed to get a phone to basically every home in the country.

Getting fibre to every home is basically the same thing.

Getting fibre just past nearly every home is a substantially lesser task, but apparently we can't even manage that anymore.

And the original NBN proposal was cheaper on a per capita basis than the original copper network rollout all those years ago. The long term strategic vision/planning in this country is atrocious.

Maybe we could use some of those gas royalties to pay for it like Qatar do, oh wait...

 

[jb747]

The saga goes on and on....8 weeks.

 

[Quickstatus]

Has anyone taken ownership of the problem?

 

[jb747]

Has anyone taken ownership of the problem?

Well, I seem to have a case manager at both the ISP and NBN.

Everybody involved seems to have screwed up.

NBN should never have listed the street as available. An effect of that is they become responsible for the copper, not Telstra. Their online system should never have allowed the ISP to book the change. They'e admitted that.

The ISP should not have churned the DSL connection without ensuring that the NBN had properly connected. Also admitted, and procedures changed to do the churn 48 hours after connection.

Telstra is just being bloody minded, and wasn't helping with the reconnection, even with NBN and ISP yapping at them. Ops normal here.

So, various people seem to be trying to make something happen, though I have no idea whether there will actually be an outcome this side of the heat death of the universe.

 

[Quickstatus]

NBN should never have listed the street as available.

Why should you street be not available in the first place?. Not ready technically?

 

[jb747]

Why should you street be not available in the first place?. Not ready technically?

The story seems to vary a bit, but it's a combination of very poor condition copper, and long runs. Which sounds to me like they didn't actually plan enough nodes....

TBA

 

[coriander]

I live in a residential complex of about 120 residential units in a combination of tower, low-rise apartments and home-office townhouses. The complex is cabled with Foxtel as well.

We were originally told 2018-9 for NBN as street/exchange infrastructure pre-dated the housing development (Beacon Cove). Last year TPG pulled fibre past all the towers and offered FTTB connections to residents (great - 100/40 unlimited, incl phone line for $70pm). Within a month of FTTB going "live", a mob (can't remember their name) turned up and connected HFC(?) using existing Foxtel infrastructure and enabling residents (for a mere $99/mth & 500GB) to keep their bigpong email address (one of the biggest issues with many residents who refused to go TPG-FTTB - don't get me started on them!). Last week NBN turned up and installed a box in the MDF that's about the size of a fridge saying we're fast-tracking NBN FTTB into your building.

So in less than 12 months we've gone from no high-speed internet to three separate providers with three separate installations in our MDF. Crazy stuff when there are so many places with no high-speed internet that NBN and other providers should be concentrating on.

 

[moa999]

and connected HFC(?) using existing Foxtel infrastructure and enabling residents (for a mere $99/mth & 500GB) to keep their bigpong email address (.

Can't imagine that could be anyone but Bigpond?
Weird if all the apartments have cable, that they've installed FTTB

 

[Quickstatus]

Easy money AKA cherry picking. The hard stuff - leave it to someone else.

 

[whatmeworry]

Treasurer Scott Morrison say Government can provide infrastructure cheaper then the private sector. PM calls NBN a good debt.

So why downgrade the NBN to a 3rd rate version?

Treasurer Scott Morrison says governments can build infrastructure projects more cheaply and effectively than the private sector, justifying the "good debt" focus of his second budget that next week will foreshadow a turning point to "better times" for Australian households.

Read more: Government can build better, cheaper infrastructure than private sector: Morrison | afr.com
​

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended the NBN as a “good debt” for the government and taxpayers because it is "secured to a financial asset” that is "going to ... generate billions" in revenue.
Speaking on ABC Radio Brisbane this morning, Turnbull was challenged as to whether the NBN represented a “good or bad debt” for taxpayers.
It came in response to a pre-budget speech delivered by Treasurer Scott Morrison where he outlined a major redefinition for how government expenditure is to be classified in the forthcoming budget papers.

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/turnbull-calls-nbn-a-good-debt-for-taxpayers-459747

 

[whatmeworry]

Government wants to implement an NBN tax.

[h=2]$7.10 minimum monthly charge.[/h] The government is pushing to introduce a $7.10 minimum monthly broadband tax for fixed-line NBN users to pay for the future cost of the fixed wireless and satellite portions of the NBN.
It plans to both introduce and pass the regional broadband scheme (RBS) charge bill, alongside a package of telecommunications changes, in parliament's winter sitting, which wraps up on June 22.

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/govt-to-introduce-legislation-for-broadband-tax-460847

 

[whatmeworry]

New York Times now commenting Australia's NBN a costly internet bungle and a cautionary tale.

The New York Times has released an article titled: “How Australia bungled its $36 billion high-speed internet rollout”, talking about Australia’s terrible internet speeds and its “embarrassing No. 51” Akamai ranking, eight years after it embarked on an ambitious nationwide broadband rollout that will cost at least $AU49 billion.

NBN: New York Times skewers ‘costly internet bungle’ as a ‘cautionary tale’

After a Liberal-led coalition was elected in 2013, that party looked for ways to contain costs and speed up the rollout. They focused on what in the telecommunications industry is called “the last mile” — the wires that connect a home or business with the broader network. While the National Broadband Network initially envisioned high-speed fiber connecting homes and businesses directly to the network, the Liberal-led effort compromised by connecting them with existing copper wire — basically, the same technology used in the earliest days of the telephone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/...broadband.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

 

[jb747]

Well, after 2 months and 3 days with no phone or internet, the NBN has at last been connected. I'm not sure who did the pushing, but I contacted TIO, local member, Ministers, council, and attended a Parliamentary Inquiry. Thanks to whoever it was....

 

[moa999]

Well done jb747... So the line wasn't too long afterall then.
What sync speeds are you getting?

 

[jb747]

Well done jb747... So the line wasn't too long afterall then.
What sync speeds are you getting?

42 meg/sec. Which is slightly better than I expected from what I knew of the line length.

 

[PLANT]

^upload and cost?