[AusNOG] TPI Commentary on the NBN

[ComKal Networks]

Hi Skeeve,

> Has anyone else read the TPIs document about the NBN?

Yes.

> Just wondering what people thought of it.

The general public would have been better off letting
broadband evolve with minimal government involvement.

Since the plan's for the NBN were announced all those
years ago, really, not much is better overall. The payback
figures made out that everyone would be on NBN for
phone and net but the reality is different.

The market was not failing so I still do not see why
the government should have even thought of getting
involved. Nation building I dont think so.

If it was left to the infrastructure owners to build out
as needed and as the business case dictated, the cost
would have been absorbed over time, and the expenditure
made in the areas where it made sense. We are ending
up with fibre to areas where the people are not interested
(some of my own family members have Fibre to the home),
and areas which will never have fibre (where I live in a
Metro area).

Nothings perfect but leaving it to people that have more
of a clue does normally end up with a better product.

Getting clueless people to organise it as well as come
up with the ideas (Government) has a history of excessive
expenditure, in the wrong areas, at the wrong times,
in the wrong order.

It is a bit silly to give people great speeds and low latency
when it is only to an arbitrary point that is to close to the
user anyway.

Says he who has 22/2 ADSL2+/Annex M at home but
has nowhere near that speed once I leave iiNet's network.
Not much I want on iiNet's network :(

I'm due to be 'upgraded' to HFC next year, whats the point?
I would rather stick with Annex M while other bottle necks
are fixed. Don't even get me started HFC problems in WA.

I wonder what my speeds/connection would be like now
if the NBN was never thought of? I am reasonably
sure it would be better even with the slow march of
technology.

Most people I know are happy with their smart phones
and Wi-Fi, NBN really does not have a business case
to make the build the way they are, they totally missed
the human factor, so I agree with the articles.

How to fix the mess is to me the important part, where does it
go from here? The current federal government is clueless and
appears happy to sit in the middle and hope the problems will
all go away, of that it will be some future governments problem
if they delay it enough.

It is also interesting when you start thinking about NBN, DR and
a few other things thrown into the mix.

I could write an essay on this stuff with a lot more depth
but I'm busy, it's late, and I have other stuff to do :)

Cheers
Ian B Manners