Abbott: 25Mbps broadband 'more than enough' for Australia
Summary: Australian households would get internet connections fast enough to download all their entertainment needs under the Coalition's national broadband network (NBN) plan, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has said.
The Coalition is offering minimum download speeds of 25 megabits-per-second (Mbps) by the end of its first term in 2016 if it wins government from Labor this year.
While this is slower than the minimum 100Mbps being offered under Labor's NBN project, Abbott argued that the Coalition's plan would be better and cheaper to deliver.
It wants to use technology — which Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has labelled "second rate" — that runs fibre optic cable to the node, or boxes on street corners.
This means that the final connection to a home would be through Telstra's existing copper network, rather than through a fibre optic cable all the way to the premise, as the government is doing.
"We will build fibre to the node, and that eliminates two thirds of the cost," Abbott told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.
But Minister of Infrastructure Anthony Albanese said that this would be a disaster because, unlike the government's fibre-to-the-premise technology, it couldn't be easily upgraded.
"This policy ... for most cases, won't result in any higher speeds being delivered," he told reporters in Canberra.
Federal independent MP Tony Windsor agreed.
"The 'full-strength' NBN will better enable technologies and services that haven't even been thought of to be delivered," he said in a statement.
The Coalition puts the capital cost of its plan at AU$20.4 billion against Labor's AU$37.4 billion.
Including funding, the cost rises to AU$29.5 billion against AU$44.1 billion under the project being overseen by the government-owned NBN Co.
Queried about the 25Mbps minimum speed for households, Opposition Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that broadband utility flattened out in a residential environment.
Abbott said 25Mbps would be enough for home usage, adding that at this speed, a family of four could simultaneously download four different sport or movie programs.
"We are absolutely confident 25 megs is going to be enough — more than enough — for the average household," he said.
While the Coalition is offering only fibre-to-the-node services for most households, high-end users like hospitals, educational centres, and new housing estates would get connections to premises.
"It's very flexible," Turnbull said of the policy.
Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said that the concept of installing tens of thousands of boxes on street corners meant most households would be "stranded" on a decaying copper network while new housing estates would get modern fibre technology.
"It's a farce," she said in Hobart.
If the Coalition won a second term, the minimum speed would increase to 50Mbps for the vast majority of households.
"I am confident that it gives Australians what they need," Abbott said.
Under the Coalition's plan, the NBN rollout would be completed by the end of 2019 instead of the current deadline of 2021, with priority given to areas that are most underserviced.
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Talkback
No it's not enough
Malcolm Turnbull knows better than to push this "plan".
lies
I wouldn't be quoting that mental giant Milne as an authority either.
not quite true
Also for some places to guarantee a minimum of 25 Mbps they may need to have nodes even closer than planned depending on the copper, which will push costs up.
Finally under the coalition plan, they are making assumptions that have made many people look foolish. There was a time i didin't need the 4-6 Mbps i get now. I used to use a 33.6 K modem. But new services and application have been developed. The fibre that labor is putting into the ground can run 10 Gbps right now with upgrades to the terminating equipment. Under liberals plan we'd have to dig everything up and it will end up costing alot more money but rather than costing now, it will cost more in 10-20 years perhaps.
so they are not saving money but putting off the inevitable. Kind of like a car with a few issues, You do some dodgy/cheaper fixes on the car to keep it running because you don't want to spend money now, but in the long run it costs you more, because you could have fixed the problem now rather than waste money keeping it going longer.
The 12mbps minimum
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/coalitions-broadband-plan-reopens-door-to-competition/story-e6frgd0x-1226616216511
A little bit of rain?
"The fibre that labor is putting into the ground can run 10 Gbps right now with upgrades to the terminating equipment. Under liberals plan we'd have to dig everything up and it will end up costing alot more money but rather than costing now, it will cost more in 10-20 years perhaps."
The fibre optic cable that is going to be put by Labor or Coalition is going to be the same, I am sure.
The coalition plan has always been for the end user to pay for faster broadband via FTTH from the node to the premises. I think that's fair enough. I am doing it now, so I expect everyone else to do it as well. Otherwise stick with copper.
No,
BTW, if Labor said the earth revolves around the sun and that was reported, would that be political bias? I'm afraid that sometimes data IS data, and that your colours are showing, hmmmkay?
And
It was quite hilarious watching Abbott flounder around today with the 'big' words but I remember a time when he rejected the NBN calling it "video entertainment system" then today goes on to describes how 25mbps is enough for four HD video streams... that's very curious, I wonder what those opposed to the proper NBN plan and have expressed support for the coalitions alternative (aka GimpCo) think of this...
Malcolm, what are you doing, I had some respect for you!
Distance has no bearing on the performance when fibre is used, so you get the full speed no matter whats the distance.
Yet, Tony Abbott is telling us that his copper based service if more efficient, and then today I also heard someone say it will be faster.
Does Tony Abbott know anything about this topic? or is he hoping to fool everyone, because under his plan I can expect more of the same of what I have today until 2016, while Telstra gets to enjoy 60 billion large ones.
Does Julia Gillard
If you want Fibre to the Home - GO PAY FOR IT YOURSELF.
Wow
More warped logic from the ideologically impaired!
Yesterdays technology - Today!
Abbott said 25 Kph would be enough for home usage, adding that at this speed, a family of four could simultaneously drive to four different sports games or movie theaters.
"We are absolutely confident 25 Kph is going to be enough — more than enough — for the average household," he said.
While the Coalition is offering only tarmac-to-the-town (TTTT) services for most households, high-end users like hospitals, educational centres, and new housing estates would get connections to premises.
"It's very flexible," Turnbull said of the policy.
=====
Joking aside, it's easy to say it'll be delivered 'faster' when you cut the rollout size by 20-30%. It's easier to say it's 'cheaper' when you roll out obsolete technology and it's easy to say it's 'better' when you use an undefined, subjective term and dodge the hard questions.
I think this stillborn, polished turd of a policy (at best) is a regressive joke that'd be hilarious if we, the public, weren't the butt of it.
(PS- bonus Schadenfreude points for the Coalition apologists doing a valiant job of defending the indefensible today- good work lads!)
You make one wrong point
Bye bye labor, you're history.
Yes more than likely
Good to see you agree +
You want fibre to your door? Then reach into your piggy bank and you pay for it.
No logical reason at all that your neighbours should be forced to subsidise your desires if they don't want it.
The new government ( forget Turnbull he won't be wasted on such a trivial portfolio) shows that an NBN needs to be a balanced offering.
As it should be, no technical arguments just common sense and robust financial management of public money.
Err we aren't interested in your foolish input...
Waste $30B on obsolescence = robust management of public money.
I see you are unable to defend this moronic proposal in any way and simply agree with it, because you must... GOLD
hypocritical thinking yet again!
What are you all saying...
wtf?
Justin