90% coverage for broadband network ???

Submitted: Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 11:24

ThreadID: 56460 Views:1931 Replies:3 FollowUps:5

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Member - Mike DID

People (including Telstra staff) often get misled by the Telstra Mobilenet claim of 90% coverage - it's 90% of the POPULATION, not 90% of the land area ! Have a look at a NextG coverage map and it's clear that it's MUCH less than 90% of the area.

The OPEL alliance was going to get paid by the government to provide broadband access for 90% of those premises that don't have access now. Because a study showed that this Wimax solution would only deliver to 70% of those premises that don't have access now - not 90%, the government has terminated the contract.
Billion Dollar network cancelled

Since Wimax is a wireless network, the OPEL network would also have been useful to remote area travellers wanting broadband access and would have provided some competition for NextG.

I wonder what the consequences of this contract termination will be for remote area travellers who want broadband access ?
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 11:42

Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 11:42

Mike

All the credible reports have stated coverage for a percentage of the population and never percentage of the country. Some reports claiming that the others were wrong in their statements are from people who have misread or misheard these credible reports The others have been from the commercial current affairs programmes and shock jocks that revel in whipping up contraversy. Any Telstra reports giving land coverage are talking of 16 - 18% coverage.

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Follow Up By: Member - Mike DID - Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 12:32

Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 12:32

The only thing stopping it, is that it will be totally unprofitable without the government subsidy.

Rural and remote communications have always been a loss-maker.

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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 12:38

Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008 at 12:38

Also of consideration is that the outback and country areas of this country are the bastion of the Liberal/National coalition.

Now we have a Labor Government they won't focus any more effort or funding towards largely safe opposition seats than they have to and will cut services to these people as a quick means of increasing the future budget surplus.