Unwired
We hope to lift the broadband debate above ADSL connections, FTTN, exchanges and nodes (UNW doesn't really care) as well as keep our competition policy regime in place.
The last decade of Internet access competition has been all about linking a customer base made up of homes and businesses of about 7 million profitable connections, 95 per cent plus of which were fixed connections using copper/cable etc.
Right now and for the next five years, I believe, its more about personal broadband and widespread adoption of fixed higher speeds across the country and a possible total market place of 20 million connections by way of phones/laptops and mobile intelligent terminals. Only 25 per cent or less of the Australian market place will be fixed wired connections by 2010. ( by way of time connected to the internet)
By 2015, internet access will be largely driven by machine to machine always on connections, personal access devices and mobile social networking and corporate communications. This is a potential market place of well over 100 million connections, 90% of which will be wireless on 4G type networks.
The Japanese know this, the Koreans know this and the Chinese are now jumping on the bandwagon with TD-SCDMA.
Telstra, Optus and others also know that this is the real future telco market and not today's fight over mostly residential capital city FTTN (which we all say is ADSL without real competition) and/or unaffordable and probably not largely wanted by 2015; FTTH. However, I agree that today this is still an important market.
What we need as an industry is good competition policy and a focus on future communication needs, both fixed and wireless for economic purposes and not today's rhetoric on "entertainment services to largely capital city homes" by way of a re-monopolised Telstra - selling controlled content.
That is why, I support the "Tell The truth Telstra" campaign.
Since the new Telstra executive team have landed, their priority was the NextG network. This is because wireless is a) the huge future and they know it and b) a contested market so they have to try to be on top of their game.
They can be as lazy as they always have with fixed broadband as they control the copper and can hinder and impede everyone else - and they are.
As we saw yesterday, and what you get from Telstra about the T4 campaigners (with pictures) is rubbish. They are just muddying the waters, and keeping the debate off the real issue. They know it just as well as I do; that it just plays to the present and places pressure on the government.
I'm highly supportive and congratulate all of you for T4 and trying to lift the debate over future internet broadband access.
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