Opposition attacks Telstra pair gain solution - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Opposition attacks Telstra pair gain solution

By James Pearce, ZDNet Australia
April 28, 2003
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Opposition-attacks-Telstra-pair-gain-solution/0,130061791,120274018,00.htm

The federal opposition and Telstra are at loggerheads over a proposal by the carrier to overcome limitations to Internet access created by use of pair gain technologies.

The Shadow Minister for Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy, has criticised the technical limitations of a technology designed to allow RIM-based pair-gain systems to handle ADSL, the optimal technology for access to broadband over copper wire.

Telstra announced in November 2002 it would trial the use of 'minimuxes' and has kicked the initiative off in the Canberra suburbs of Gungahlin, Ngunnawal, Nicolls and Amaroo.

"In response to questions I asked on notice to a Senate Estimates Committee, Telstra has conceded that up to 60 percent of RIMs in the ACT suburb of Gungahlin are not big enough to hold the mini-ADSL technology (a "minimux"), and therefore can not be modified to carry ADSL," said Lundy in a press statement.

"The only possible solution for areas like Gungahlin is alternative infrastructure which will require significant investment - be it from Telstra, Optus, or another carrier," she added.

Telstra spokesperson Kerrina Lawrence agreed there is a limitation on how many "add-on" minimuxes can be fitted to a RIM enabled exchange. "There are certain space and function matters relating to PSTN, and the minimuxes will require sufficient space within the cabinet...about half the Gungahlin RIMs will be able to take the minimux module," she said.

"Senator Lundy is making the assumption that every customer on those RIMs wants ADSL," said Lawrence. There have been a 'relatively low' number of broadband requests since the trial began, according to Lawrence. There are 10 customers participating in the trial and Telstra has approached another 51 Bigpond customers who have shown an interest in ADSL.

At the heart of the disagreement is how many people wish to have ADSL access. Telstra claims that ADSL services seven million residences - about 75 percent of the population - and that 100 percent of the Australian population has access to broadband services via satellite.

Lundy points to the 800,000 customers across Australia who cannot receive ADSL because their telephone exchange uses RIM technology. If her figures are correct and scale to the whole country, 320,000 customers who currently cannot get ADSL broadband will be able to using minimux technology.

As for the other 480,000, Lawrence would only say Telstra "should be able to adequately provide [ADSL] broadband capability for a number of years", and customers who wanted broadband but were unable to get ADSL or cable could utilise satellite broadband.