[AusNOG] OT: Regulator rings the changes for telcos, isps - WARNING, POTENTIAL FLAMEBAIT

[Curtis Bayne]

I agree entirely, and thank you for sharing your opinion publicly. My personal opinion is that the OPEL project was a pragmatic way to improve rural telecoms with minimal investment (comparatively) without interfering with the complex and fragile telecommunications industry.

Had it not been scrapped by the government, the OPEL project would be delivering tangible benefits to consumers TODAY. That boat has sailed and what a shame. OPEL on a national scale would be the best of both worlds. Layer 2/Layer 3: that's the job of the VAR. Want to build a regional telehouse for DR? Easy. There's still a place for small, regional ISPs (which appeals to the silo mentalities in regional areas - no pun intended) as well as larger service providers with their economy of scale. Everyone goes home happy.


-----Original Message-----
From: ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net on behalf of Paul Brooks
Sent: Thu 4/22/2010 3:51 PM
To: ausnog at lists.ausnog.net
Subject: Re: [AusNOG] OT: Regulator rings the changes for telcos, isps - WARNING, POTENTIAL FLAMEBAIT
 
On 22/04/2010 10:11 AM, Curtis Bayne wrote:
>
> The regional back-haul project is costing a fraction of the NBN and 
> will provide tangible benefits to consumers (with increased speeds and 
> reduced cost) far before a consumer is connected to the NBN network. 
> It enables retail ISPs to install competitive infrastructure in areas 
> which have previously been serviced only by the monopoly provider. 
> This is a good thing.
>
.....
>
> Perhaps if we spent a few billion dollars building a national, 
> regional back haul network capable of servicing major town/transit 
> routes, we would have a national, regulated carriage duopoly: this 
> would encourage independent providers to begin building their own 
> fibre routes in areas where they have previously been unable to 
> justify expenditure due to a lack of return - especially in places 
> like Maroochydore, Darwin etc. Customers that are outside of these 
> regional centers will end up serviced by independent wireless ISPs - 
> these ISPs now have access to competitive carriage some ~200KM away, 
> which is only a few microwave hops away. Capitalism again: if there's 
> money in it, someone will do it.
>
> As far as I can see, if we pursue this avenue, we will end up with the 
> following outcomes:
>
> 1. An easily justifiable return on investment for "BackhaulCo" (our 
> tax dollars do not go to waste!)
> 2. Delivery of high-speed services to regional areas (fulfilling the 
> goals of NBNCo).
> 3. Does not sever the investment that current providers have put in 
> their own infrastructure (this will make many providers happy)
> 4. Will most likely (in time) deliver a FTTP network when a commercial 
> provider deems they are able to amortize their investment (or we'll 
> end up stuck with HFC - either way, we get our 100Mbps to the home)
> 5. Encourages smaller ISPs in regional areas, creating jobs and 
> bolstering the local economy (and keeps me in business)
> 6. Only marginally pisses Telstra off (could be considered a 
> disadvantage!)
> 7. Encourages mobile carriers like Voda/Optus to deploy 3G 
> infastructure in rural areas (more healthy competition in these areas 
> and a kick in the pants for the NextG monopoly).
> 8. Stops Curtis from making page-long rants on a public mailing list 
> (good for AusNOG in general).
> </opinion>
>

Curtis - you just described the Opel project, and the Broadband Connect 
tendering process in late 2006 that lead the selection of Opel to build it.
To whit: build a regional backhaul network to bring metro-comparable 
backhaul capacity and pricing to regional areas, and then local ISPs 
will build the local loop and access networks using whatever 
technologies they feel works best in the local community.

It seemed like a good idea to the previous federal government.
To the current government that appears to have been sufficient to kill 
it, and do something different - and if the previous guys thought 
backhaul network was good, then the 'different thing' is access network.

P.


-- 
Paul Brooks               |         Mob +61 414 366 605
Layer 10 Advisory         |         Ph  +61 2 9402 7355
-------------------------------------------------------
Layer 10 - telecommunications strategy&  network design


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