[AusNOG] NBN: "i want a pony! but can I afford it"

[John Edwards]

On 17/08/2010, at 8:19 AM, Mark Smith wrote:

> On Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:53:51 +0930
> Matthew Moyle-Croft <mmc at internode.com.au> wrote:
>> 
>> Awesome - so you're saying we're stuck with what we've got?   Bravo John, very forward looking.

Just to be clear, I believe we should be going full steam ahead with an FTTH plan, and that any delay to discuss alternatives reduces the economic benefit we might receive while increasing construction costs. Changing direction will deceptively cost us more than any savings realised by the alternative plan.

> 
> Thinking about it a bit more, I think 3G and the iPhone were the game
> changers that have emerged in the last 3-4 years. 

3G and iPhones exist *because* of fixed broadband, not instead of them. They are a substitute and a compromise.

Wireless technologies have objections, limitations and just too many variables to give anyone certainty of access.

Fibre will just work. Every time.

Consumers and business alike abhor complexity. For whatever application anyone dreams up, the FTTH solution will be able to give them a yes or no answer on its suitability. Given a DSL connection today, a service provider cannot guarantee that a 64K VoIP service will work as well as a 50 year old telephone. Applications on wireless technologies will always have an asterisk* on the terms and conditions, and this will be enough to create doubts that prevent our society from getting the maximum benefit of network effects and operating efficiencies driven by multiple users.

John

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ausnog.net/pipermail/ausnog/attachments/20100817/7fd294cb/attachment.html>