Telstra announces copper retirement agreement After a week of speculation and months of waiting, Telstra has announced an agreement with the company building Australia’s National Broadband Network, NBN Co, under which it will move its customers to the new fibre-based wholesale access network, and progressively retire its copper. Within an NBN rollout region, Telstra has …
This is some of the best news ever.
Ever since the previous government sold Telecom Australia (wholly owned government department to a 51% stake in the now private/public company, and lying through his teeth by promising everyone he wouldn't sell it off).
Now that the best parts of Telstra will now be controlled by a (virtual) government department again, overseeing the connection of everyone in Australia to the fibre optic network and/or wireless comms.
It has taken over 15 years to fix John Howards lies.
I thought this was one of his botched policies in the Hawke Keating era. They set it up but didnt have the guts to go and sell it. Everything was botched from the point where it absorbed OTC that was 1992 when it was shortly rebranded as Telstra instead of Telecom Australia. John Howards lot just realiazed it was a monster, at that point, got out the rubber stamp and stamped it sold.
... it took six weeks to get a simple telephone (POTS) installed.
Even then you were never guaranteed the number, so you couldn't print your business cards etc. ahead of time.
During this period, I was responsible for a small business Datel network (four branches 1200 baud only). It took us 3 months AFTER installation to get the lines "tuned" and that was only after my boss pulled some strings and got it done on a weekend.
The techs and linies were never the problem - it was always the b...y organisation gettting in the way.
I am not sanguine about this re-monopolisation of the telecoms infrastructure.
Both parties are careless with the facts.
Hands up, anyone trust an Oz comms minister, let alone Telstra ? Nope, thought not. So now we get less maintenance to the old copper outside of George and Collins street because the fibre is coming "real soon now " . Have to get satellite after all, and I live only 60 km from Telstra tower.
3 mobile firms with coverage, weak and bad. Fortunately, TV has become so awful I don't watch it any more.
I live in Tasmania, within 2.5k of an exchange, 20 min driving time to the Capital. No one has said they will guarentee copper services to an area once fibre has been rolled out. We're in an area considered to be rural. The planning scheme in place here will not let us subdivide to under 40 hectares. Another section of the same suberb is built up. The rollouts in Tasmania (If you can call them that) have only covered the heavily built up areas.
I fear that we will be migrated from copper to a wireless service. Since Telstra will be told to remove the old copper network within 18 months of a NBN rollout. These agreements are always subject to the EXACT wording of the contract/legislation NOT the intent.
Wireless is a poor substitute for ADSL. The reliability issues WILL end my business. Relocating is not an option.
I'm really worried.
The devil is in the detail, and unfortunatly Labour does not have a good track record.
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