Australia's Broadband options
Not that I want to get political too often, but In the upcoming election one of the issues which will be tossed around is the issue of whether Australia should have a fully fibre network paid for by the tax payer. The key point in this debate is not the need for broadband, but the role of government. Should government decide which connection you have, and should you be forced to pay for your neighbours connection.
The two options that have been proposed are fibre to the node, or fibre to the home. Fibre transmits data at the speed of light. Physics, or more precisely Einsteins theory of general relativity, states that this is the fastest speed possible, therefore the speed of connection fibre offers is the fastest possible. The speed of Transfer is not the only issue though. This affects what is known as latency. Fibre is also able to fit lots of data down its pipes simultaneously, and doe not require as much electricity as copper. Fibre is a clear winner over copper in terms of latency, bandwidth and efficiency as a transmission medium.
One issue with the fibre to the home suggestion, is that they seem to have lost sight of the fact that this is Australia we are talking about. Every year we experience a number of cyclones, floods, and other disasters that remove parts of the power grid. Fibre to the home does not work if the power goes out. This means that in the event of a power outage power only needs to be to the node, for communications to occur. Since most nodes have power secured by UPS systems communication can occur in difficult circumstances for short periods. There is a real danger that a fibre network will not be robust enough to save Australians when at their most vunerable.
Fibre to the node is upgradable, for those that pay for it. Those who have no want need not pay. Those that operate more rurally may have to pay more, this is mine sites, nodes go into small rural towns. Fibre to the node allows people who want luxury speeds to pay a premium for their choice, and makes the basic service better for everyone.
To quote Margaret Thatcher, "the only hand out you need from this government is this governments hand out of your pocket". Remember the money being spent is ours. If you want fibre to your home, then great, you should have that choice, but please pay for it yourself like every other choice you make. I will buy my own thanks.
The two options that have been proposed are fibre to the node, or fibre to the home. Fibre transmits data at the speed of light. Physics, or more precisely Einsteins theory of general relativity, states that this is the fastest speed possible, therefore the speed of connection fibre offers is the fastest possible. The speed of Transfer is not the only issue though. This affects what is known as latency. Fibre is also able to fit lots of data down its pipes simultaneously, and doe not require as much electricity as copper. Fibre is a clear winner over copper in terms of latency, bandwidth and efficiency as a transmission medium.
The Liberals wish to put a fibre network in that will extend to the node. That is to every 10 - 50 houses. This will greatly increase the network traffic available to Australians, and increases the speed of broadband significantly. Subscribers then have the option to pay a little extra to improve their service more.
The Labour party wishes to go further than this, they wish the fibre network to go into everybody's home. This will mean a huge increase in speed, which will offer the largest possible network availability to everyone. By home here we mean mine-site, cattle yard, and every other place of business as well as home.
One issue with the fibre to the home suggestion, is that they seem to have lost sight of the fact that this is Australia we are talking about. Every year we experience a number of cyclones, floods, and other disasters that remove parts of the power grid. Fibre to the home does not work if the power goes out. This means that in the event of a power outage power only needs to be to the node, for communications to occur. Since most nodes have power secured by UPS systems communication can occur in difficult circumstances for short periods. There is a real danger that a fibre network will not be robust enough to save Australians when at their most vunerable.
Fibre to the node is upgradable, for those that pay for it. Those who have no want need not pay. Those that operate more rurally may have to pay more, this is mine sites, nodes go into small rural towns. Fibre to the node allows people who want luxury speeds to pay a premium for their choice, and makes the basic service better for everyone.
To quote Margaret Thatcher, "the only hand out you need from this government is this governments hand out of your pocket". Remember the money being spent is ours. If you want fibre to your home, then great, you should have that choice, but please pay for it yourself like every other choice you make. I will buy my own thanks.
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