Credit: Northrop
The government-led push to modernize its telecommunications system was unprecedented, experts say – & provides a cautionary tale for others who might like to try something similar.
“Australia was the first country where a totally national plan to cover every house or business was considered,” said Rod Tucker, a University of Melbourne professor & a member of the expert panel that advised on the effort. “The fact it was a government plan didn’t necessarily make it doomed. In Australia, we have changes of governments every three years, which really works against the ability to undertake long-term planning, & the long-term rollouts of networks like this.”
The New York Times – “How Australia Bungled Its $36 Billion High-Speed Internet Rollout”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/world/australia/australia-slow-internet-broadband.html / modernize modernise how Australia bungled Its $36 billion high-speed internet rollout Brisbane Australia internet speeds trail developed world Morgan Jaffit more reliable data transfer postal system downloaded Hand of Fate action video game studio Brisbane Defiant Development audio designer Melbourne quicker send hard drive by road than to upload the files big file sizes kill us release update small bug kill us by three or four days Australia wealthy nation widely envied quality of life lags in one essential area of modern life internet speed country began unprecedented broadband modernization effort cost at least 49 billion Australian dollars $36 billion average internet speed lags United States Western Europe Japan South Korea most recent ranking internet speeds Akamai networking company Australia embarrassing No. 51 trailing developing economies Thailand Kenya slow broadband connection frustration Instagram video buffer buffering delay problem sluggish Netflix stream slurred Skype call businesses complain slow speeds hobble effectiveness add to costs Australia risks being left behind countries China India start-up cultures match succss Silicon Valley keep their economies on the cutting edge start up startup poor broadband speeds hold back Australia competitive advantage John O’Mahony economist Deloitte Access Economics 2015 report Deloitte valued nation’s digital economy $58 billion worth 50 percent more by 2020 speed growth at risk broadband to support it Australia’s costly internet bungle hazards mingling telecommunication infrastructure impatience modern politics Internet modernization plan hobbled by cost overruns partisan maneuvering major technical compromise 19th-century technology country’s 21st-century digital backbone homes and businesses government-led push modernize telecommunications system unprecedented experts cautionary tale Australia first country totally national plan cover every house or business Rod Tucker University of Melbourne professor government plan doomed Australia changes of governments every three years works against ability undertake long-term planning long-term rollout networks Australia natural connectivity challenges oceans away from other countries network connect far-flung cities separated sparsely populated interior Australia high hopes ambitious internet project started 2009 initiative National Broadband Network NBN advanced fiber-optic technology every home business estimated cost 43 billion Australian dollars government private sector failed policy Australia broadband backwater Kevin Rudd then prime minister leader Labor Party government share costs quickly climbed taxpayers responsible for all of it technology slow roll out negotiations Telstra Australia big telecommunications provider installing fiber Telstra spokesman talks delays government-funded effort government funded drew fire Liberal Party opposition the private sector Liberal-led coalition elected 2013 contain costs speed up rollout focused telecommunications industry the last mile wires connect home business broader network National Broadband Network envisioned high-speed fiber connecting homes businesses directly network Liberal conservative compromised connecting existing copper wire same technology earliest days of the telephone critics slow speeds did not stop rising costs Australia had aggressive, forward-looking visionary government project build fiber network Mike Quigley chief executive project until 2013 opportunity lost bad judgments ideologically politically driven spokeswoman Liberal Party connecting new users Labor Party party fixing the internet campaign platforms national elections how difficult the problem will be to solve average speeds have more than doubled since 2013 Akamai other countries are connecting their populations faster Australia’s lag with the rest of the world has grown big businesses can opt to pay for fast connections, but the cost can be considerable GO1 education technology company near Brisbane spent $22,000 speed upgrade September 2015 pays $1,000 per month high-speed 100 megabit connection software company two main costs internet and staff Andrew Barnes chief executive co-founder lower more to spend on building the team employees Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam far fewer issues joining the company’s weekly webinars Vietnam telephone wires are just a mess despite obvious infrastructure problems Internet much much better video game industry pushed for better speeds dirt roads Ben Britten chief technology officer Mighty Games Group Senate hearing his industry’s future trying to push huge semi trucks down dirt roads need to have some highways look for ways around the barriers old-fashioned radio Nick Lorenzi Cairns northeastern Queensland frustrated with copper wire speeds just a few miles away much faster fiber connection information technology worker bandwidth from two transmitter dishes that cost $440 total Internet was rubbish up really high on a hill take advantage of that copper based connection speed just rubbish Internet just pathetic, really /
