http://www.technologyspectator.com.au/when-will-turnbull-deliver-full-fibre-nbnBut let’s not lose sight of the fact that the Coalition has a few questions of its own that it needs to answer. The shadow communications minister Malcolm Turnbull may be fond of extolling the virtues of a cost benefit analysis but the country and the fringe-metro electorate has a more pressing concern.
They need to know if the Coalition is committed to providing an affordable, universal fibre-to the premises (FTTP) network in the near or mid-term future. If so, when? And what timeframe will they commit to?
Is it going to be 10, 15 or 25 years?
What they won’t or shouldn’t accept is the steady catalogue of weasel words and generic answers from Turnbull. That old chestnut of
“the market will provide”
must be seen for what it really means for the fate of a FTTP network – it will never be built.
We know that the telcos almost entirely replaced their internal and overseas networks with fibre optic during the 90's, because it was faster, cheaper, higher quality and can be upgraded in place. The operational expenditure is infinitesimal compared to previous technologies, like wireless bearers, satellite and coax cable - all the technologies now being promoted as fit for the NBN.