Telstra vs. G9 for FTTN (Fibre to the Node)
In category General on 01 Jun 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Yay. Fibre to the node would be fantastic, so long as Telstra doesn't get what it wants. All this rubbish propaganda that I'm being sent about the 'big bad government regulators' not letting them provide a great service to the people is just rubbish. Sure they'd provide it, at a cost that most people can't afford, just so they can make a bit more money.
It's a question of recovering costs, covering maintenance and profit. And there needs to be a balance of this where it's profitable but not forcing our country further into the dark ages with the price of bandwidth. At the moment it's pretty rediculous how much it costs compared to most similar countries.
While the G9 group have been trying to work this all out, Telstra has been having a tantrum. Mr Trujillo dismissed the G9 plans as "folly" and is still pushing for their own network:
What a load of crap. I'd hate to see what we end up with if it's provided by Telstra. The network would be fine I imagine, but at what cost?
Phew. That was close. Lucky I didn't go over my limit or I'd be charged 30c/MB. Apparently that's just what it costs.
Whereas if I was on 3 it would be $20 cheaper for the first 200MB and then 10c/MB after that until it roams onto the Telstra network of course.
In fact, the only reason I'm with Telstra was for the CDMA coverage at the places I go but I haven't been able to get the NextG card to connect in these places now so I'm just waiting for my contract to finish and getting another provider.
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:12 pm
It's a question of recovering costs, covering maintenance and profit. And there needs to be a balance of this where it's profitable but not forcing our country further into the dark ages with the price of bandwidth. At the moment it's pretty rediculous how much it costs compared to most similar countries.
While the G9 group have been trying to work this all out, Telstra has been having a tantrum. Mr Trujillo dismissed the G9 plans as "folly" and is still pushing for their own network:
However, he refused to detail how much a Telstra fibre network would cost to use.
"We haven't provided any pricing because we haven't seen a serious interest on the part of anybody yet who wants to go forward," he said.
"When there is a serious interest, when there is an infrastructure and a process that says 'yes, you can earn, you can recover your costs; yes, you will have the flexibility to price at commercial terms', then we'll show up."
Source: australianit.news.com.au"We haven't provided any pricing because we haven't seen a serious interest on the part of anybody yet who wants to go forward," he said.
"When there is a serious interest, when there is an infrastructure and a process that says 'yes, you can earn, you can recover your costs; yes, you will have the flexibility to price at commercial terms', then we'll show up."
What a load of crap. I'd hate to see what we end up with if it's provided by Telstra. The network would be fine I imagine, but at what cost?
You can get cheaper and faster internet with any company that has been allowed use ADSL2 at the exchange. The people that are using Telstra seem to be doing so only because of lack of other options. If there is another option, still well priced, then I imagine people (like myself) will move away from Telstra.
A company can try recover costs in one year or three for example. It makes a massive difference to what it costs consumers for that service. G9 are trying to provide a pricing plan. Something Telstra is still refusing to do. Maybe if they did you would have a case?
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 06:57 pm
A company can try recover costs in one year or three for example. It makes a massive difference to what it costs consumers for that service. G9 are trying to provide a pricing plan. Something Telstra is still refusing to do. Maybe if they did you would have a case?
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 06:57 pm
Usage Allowance: 200MB
Current Account Usage: 199.8MB
Current Account Usage: 199.8MB
Phew. That was close. Lucky I didn't go over my limit or I'd be charged 30c/MB. Apparently that's just what it costs.
Whereas if I was on 3 it would be $20 cheaper for the first 200MB and then 10c/MB after that until it roams onto the Telstra network of course.
In fact, the only reason I'm with Telstra was for the CDMA coverage at the places I go but I haven't been able to get the NextG card to connect in these places now so I'm just waiting for my contract to finish and getting another provider.
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:12 pm
And don't even get me started on overseas pricing for mobile data. I'd be unlucky to not have unlimited data for about the same price as 200MB here. This is based on the limited research I can do by picking random providers I know the names of and looking at their websites which roughly covers Eastern Europe and the USA.
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:20 pm
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:20 pm
The difference is in the cost of providing the network. Non-Telstra ADSL providers are cheap because they have far lower overheads and start-up costs. They are effectively using someone else's network without paying properly for it, which is exactly what Telstra is angry about. I think the government should own and provide such networks as a public service, but seeing as they don't, Telstra should be allowed to charge whatever it wants, including preventing competitors from using their network, or charging them what it sees fit.
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:31 pm
http://the-i.org
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:31 pm
http://the-i.org
Or to put that another way, if %random_cheap_provider% wants to install their own network and charge cheaply for it, excellent! That would be fantastic. However, given the size of Australia and its population density, that network would look like 3's network - it would work in major city centres only.
I personally strongly support equality, and think that people in the country should have access to a similar quality network with similar pricing, as that city folk get.
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:35 pm
http://the-i.org
I personally strongly support equality, and think that people in the country should have access to a similar quality network with similar pricing, as that city folk get.
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:35 pm
http://the-i.org
I've had Telstra fly out in a helicopter to fix microwave repeaters for a single remote family with no road access, landing on a beach, and spending the night. I doubt any of the "cheap" providers can even afford a helicopter, let alone be willing to offer that service. It would send them bankrupt.
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:37 pm
http://the-i.org
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:37 pm
http://the-i.org
I've had Telstra tell people to buy an external aerial so that they can use the NextG service at the same house they used to get CDMA. People in the country don't have the same quality network as people in the city. Not even close in my experience. That's not equality.
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:48 pm
# Comment by Maz on 01 Jun 2007 @ 07:48 pm
"He knows Chinese." -Kevin Rudd, 2006
[..during House of Representatives, in response to John Howard's question of what it is that makes the 2006 World Mayor such a cult figure.]
# Comment by io on 05 Jun 2007 @ 02:18 am
http://protiotype.net
[..during House of Representatives, in response to John Howard's question of what it is that makes the 2006 World Mayor such a cult figure.]
# Comment by io on 05 Jun 2007 @ 02:18 am
http://protiotype.net
What should have happened was a government controlled public utilities board that regulates and provides a common network infrastructure. But it didn't, so we have the choice of a commercial one, or a none at all. The people who think that some other non-Telstra company will somehow be cheaper or nicer than Telstra are kidding themselves. They all operate under the same principles.
# Comment by thei on 01 Jun 2007 @ 04:49 pm
http://the-i.org