2.4 million more Aussies now have 20Mbps

Telstra has announced it has finished switching on ADSL2+ at over 900 exchanges to give 2.4 million Australians a theoretical maximum downlink speed of up to 20 Mbps.

A map showing the availability of ADSL2+ after the exchanges were switched on Credit: Telstra

Earlier this year, Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy gave the telco the regulatory assurances it needed to switch on the ADSL2+ network, according to the company.

However, according to the CEO of the Competitive Carriers Coalition, Dave Forman, the company's decision to switch on the exchanges did not spring from the Minister's assurances but from the desire to rebuild its relationship with the government ahead of the planned rollout of the national fibre-to-the node (FTTN) broadband network.

Since February, 907 exchanges have been switched on, Telstra's group MD of public policy and communications Phil Burgess said, taking some 64 days.

A map showing the availability of ADSL2+ before the exchanges were switched on Credit: Telstra

The popular opinion that "all you had to do was flick a switch" is wrong, said Burgess, adding that although Telstra had the DSLAMs already in place, it had to dig holes, get personnel to them, decommission old lines and connect new lines, requiring a massive transfer of resources.

Burgess hopes the rollout will act as a precursor to a future role in the country's fibre-to-the-node network. "Does it relate to FTTN? Absolutely it does," Burgess said.

Despite speeds of 20Mbps, Australia is still behind, Burgess said: "This is great in Australia, but... the rest of the world is going to 100Mbps."

If Australia doesn't wake up, "we're going to be in bad trouble," he added.

When asked how Telstra wanted to achieve 100Mbps, Burgess said the company was looking at VDSL, saying that under the right conditions it can go up to 100Mbps, and said that FTTN laid the basis for fibre-to-the-home.

"It's all a matter of money," he said.

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Talkback 37 comments

  1. 20 Mbps Theoretical Maximum is all it is DAK -- 10/04/08

    Its nice that so many exchanges are ADSL2+ enabled but if they dont actually run at 20Mbps whats the point.

    I recently upgraded from Telstra's 8,000Kbps service to their 20Mbps service and found absolutely no change in my download speeds. These still only average 2,500Kbps but regularly get as low as 600Kbps. A far cry from the claimed 20,000Kbps!

    Telstra however seemed happy enough with this saying these speeds met their minimum requirements for their 20Mbps badged service.

    1. TELSTRA COULD CARE LESS. Keith Styles -- 10/04/08

      Dak, You said;

      "Its nice that so many exchanges are ADSL2+ enabled but if they don't actually run at 20Mbps what's the point."

      In fact ADSL2+ can download at up 24Mbps and upload at up to 2Mbps if Annex "M" is provided. There are, however many variables which limit these theoretical speeds.

      Not the least of these is the quality of the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) wires.The pair of wires which provide your normal phone service.

      Maintaining these wires is not one of Telstra's highest priorities. In fact if your telephone speech is ok, they couldn't give a "rodents rear end" if your ADSL BroadBand service doesn't run any faster than a dialup link or worse, unless perhaps you are a BigPond subscriber.

      POTS is an aging technology, so Telstra doesn't really care very much if your ADSL isn't up to speed. They are losing and will increasingly be losing, more and more revenue from their old POTS call revenue, due to VoIP. Is Telstra providing VoIP...NO. It will cut into their POTS call revenue.

      If you DO use BigPond, Telstra just might bend over to fix it for you.

      Do you see a pattern here??

      Screw the customers BB service unless they are a BP customer.

      (Telstra doesn't provide Annex "M" BTW). It's taken them a decade to provide ADSL2+ Annex "A". God only knows if or when they will ever turn ON Annex "M". Other ISP's can do it, why can't Telstra??

    2. 20 Mbps Theoretical Maximum is all it is Anonymous -- 05/05/08

      Agreed - I am paying for ADSL2+ and getting ADSL2 speeds. More than 80% of people will see no change between DSL2 and DSL2+ due to distance from the exchange considerations.

  2. Telstra ADSL2+ - Avoiding the REAL question! Bill Caelli -- 10/04/08

    OK - Phil - on goes ADSL2+ and so - congratulations - great media spin and great media and public policy diversion tactics!

    Simple question - what difference - Phil - does all that make to your poor customers - sorry, "victims" - who are stuck on your - yes, your - RIM/Multiplexor and pair gain systems attached to those very same exchanges?? Answer - NOTHING! and - apparently - you and Sol could not care less..... you have known for a long time just know how many of these systems you have installed throughout Australia, limiting victims to poor quality dial up Internet services ONLY.

    Come on - tell us just how many Australians are stuck on these utterly obsolete structures.
    How many circuits are limited in this way, including to ADSL 1 ONLY on RIM/muxes - if they are lucky enough to have any Telstra service at all in the "broadband" arena (Oops - I am cynically calling your pathetic 256-512K bit/sec ASDSL 1 service "broadband" - naughty me.)

    The problem is that - as you know - the media does not have enough technological know-how to ask you the real questions that affect Australians....so, great spin..great diversion!

    Oh well....back to my 30Kbit/sec Telstra "service".... One day ... in a future far far away...
    FttN/H/P or anything...?

  3. Simple question really: "At what cost?" Anonymous -- 10/04/08

    So you've switched it on. Yipeee. Is 384Kbits upstream really fast broadband? Nope, most other DSL ISP's do better on their upstream (disclaimer: with their own equipment). Do you charge 2 to 3 times as much for the same speed as others? Yes..

    Get with it Bigpond, you can't add the price tag if the quality and similar service specifications aren't there - even if you do cover "more" of the population! Bigpond need to get their head out of the clouds, their ADSL is simply not a premium product that you can bolt a premium price on. The support is done by call-centre-procedure-monkeys and the price tags are far too outrageous for the same download limits.

    Try "up to 20Mbits" but that's already got mentioned - most customers will probably only get 5-15 Mbits.

    1. Cj_sodoo@yahoo.de Anonymous -- 13/04/08

      Speed

  4. That's news! Anonymous -- 10/04/08

    This is news to me, and to some providers too apparently.

    I live in Chippendale, an inner city suburb in Sydney. Wheen I applied for ADSL2+, it took DODO three months to tell me it's not available...I finally settled for ADSL.

    1. Wholesale Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      Telstra ADSL2+ is not wholesaled and they have stated that they will not wholesale it.
      Also, Telstra's residential provider, BigPond, have plans but they not good when compared with offerings from other ISPs.

  5. 907 Exchanges Where ? Anonymous -- 10/04/08

    Not here in WA :) Telstra, it's about time you stopped playing games. You want my continued business ? Then get ADSL2 running at Hamersley (and the other WA exchanges which it appears you are persistently ignoring). My ADSL costs more than the bundled ADSL2+phone services on offer elsewhere. I'm looking, Sol. Soon as I find something that works, it's another customer you've lost.

  6. Good news story turned and you still complain David -- 11/04/08

    I looked at the maps on the NWAT site and it is impressive.

    Yes it doesn't solve the pair gain, the corroded copper, the annex question, rodents and of course the processes you have to go through but it does provide a higher speed option to millions more people and at no cost to the government or the taxpayers.

    Those of you who want to complain and say you can get great service with someone else great you happen to live in the high density high profit areas of the country but what about the poor people who do not make millions for those greedy companies. At least they have a choice between no service with many companies or something with one.

    I live in a RIM area and it took over 5 years for Telstra to provide me with broadband and I love it, I spoke to the technicians and saw the expensive equipment they were installing not far from my house and I respect the fact they spent money to deliver something to a few dozen homes that would take years to recover the costs.

    Get of you high horses and be thankful someone is investing instead of waiting for government handouts.

    1. Re good news still complain SJT -- 11/04/08

      David I agree wholeheartedly. There appears be a group of the same old tired, always Telstra negative, bedroom telecoms experts, who frequent these forums, simply to deride Telstra. They have been telling us Telstra are holding back broadband. However, following this new initiative, it just proves these experts arent fair dinkum, because regardless of whatever Telstra does, they are never happy.

      According to reports, this latest roll out has occurred throughout SA, to 80,000 homes/2.4 million people, in towns most of us (well me anyway as an N.S.Welshman) have probably never heard of? So one would assume rural/regional areas? Areas like Aldinga, Virginia, Clare, Renmark, Naracoorte, Ceduna, Kadina, Roxby Downs, Goolwa. Also according to reports this has been achieved four months ahead of schedule! So be just a little patient Anon from WA, after all you were willing to wait forever for OPEL, simply because they werent Telstra, werent you!

      So should we be happy (especially for the residents of the above towns)? Should we give even minimal credit to Telstra? Do we think beating the schedule by 4 months is a commendable feat? No, because these negative individuals will always invent a reason to dislike Telstra (for whatever their selfish motives) and will never, even for a split second, be adult enough to say, I guess they did ok! They will forever childishly whine about what rational human beings would see as trivialities, rather than focusing on the big picture, plusses.

      I guess in the end the best analogy for these peoples views, is professional wrestling. Like the WWE, where would Australias telecoms be, without the bad guy to blame for everything!

    2. Complaining Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      Of course there is a group of people that complain, not everybody has had such a great time when dealing with Telstra.

    3. Helstra Eddie Smith -- 11/04/08

      I totally agree 'anonymous'.

    4. 18 months behind schedule James Bell -- 11/04/08

      According to Telstra they've flicked a few switches 4 months ahead of schedule.. good on them! According to others it's about 18 months late.

      There also appears to be a group of the same old Telstra groupies who stop at nothing to defend its anticompetitive actions. The irony is that the majority of those who you would class as anti-Telstra are the ones in support of competition.

    5. David... Alex Macaronis -- 11/04/08

      I live in a RIM area and it took over 5 years for Telstra to provide me with broadband and I love it, I spoke to the technicians and saw the expensive equipment they were installing not far from my house and I respect the fact they spent money to deliver something to a few dozen homes that would take years to recover the costs.

      David, Why do you think you were on a RIM in the first place? Oh yeah... cause when the original phone lines were being connected to your estate, Telstra chose to save money by not running a dedicated copper line for each premises to the exchange and instead, cut corners.

      It is not possible under the current access regime for another company to install C-MUX hardware (what lets users on RIMs use ADSL) into a Telstra cabinet... Telstra don't let them.

      Telstra also own all of the backhaul fibre in rural Australia. That is, the fibre that connects exchanges to other exchanges, and eventually, to the internet.

      Because Telstra own the underlying equipment, and also run a retail company, they are able to use the backhaul at no expense for themselves (other than the initial installation) and charge ridiculously high rates to competitors who want to use it wholesale.

      That is why other ISPs do not service remote exchanges.

  7. What about sub-exchanges? Jongleur -- 11/04/08

    Big deal Telstra! What about the millions upon millions of subscribers marooned from decent broadband because they have their line routed to a sub-exchange. No ADSL2 for us, and pay through the nose to get a paltry 1500/256. Telstra are holding us prisoner, they won't provide ADSL2, but they won't let a competitor in either.

  8. What holes Anonymous -- 11/04/08

    The popular opinion that "all you had to do was flick a switch" is wrong, said Burgess, adding that although Telstra had the DSLAMs already in place, it had to dig holes, get personnel to them, decommission old lines and connect new lines, requiring a massive transfer of resources.

    What a lot of crap they were adsl2 dslams running adsl1
    so if its a software upgrade. where do the holes come into it. Oh thats right in telstra fairyland and since when has telstra layed new cable to existing customers just to connect to the same dslam with a software upgrade

    1. Holes Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      LMAO. So if holes were dug, where and why were these holes dug?

    2. The holy Hole Anonymous -- 06/08/08

      I guess this was the hole he dug for himself

  9. Future Anonymous -- 11/04/08

    Before the government progress any further with the NBN, ISPs roll-out small VDSL2 installations and the bid starts for the use of WiMAX in the analogue spectrum (500 - 700MHz).

  10. RIMs Anonymous -- 11/04/08

    Are they including RIMs in the estimated coverage?

  11. 2.4 million more Aussies now have 20Mbps Tom Hadley -- 11/04/08

    2.4 million more Aussies now have 20Mbps !!!!
    Not true !!!! Telstra “badge” it as that, in practice, many people like me, only 1.7 km from the exchange; do not get that full speed! It would be useful for ZDNet to do a survey of customers who have paid for this service, to check who is actually getting it. I realise there are so called "technical " issues but if a product is sold as 20MBps and rarely, if ever, meets that , even for customers next door to exchanges. This is false advertising, it would be better if ZDnet instead of making just taking the Telstra press statement, say “Telstra purports to be providing 20 MBps !!", and then qualifying the story by saying "in practice, very few people are actually getting 20 MBps !!" This would enhance ZDNet’s standing as a professional journal!

    1. Speed Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      It is theoretical, that is why "up to" is always said. This is the same for every other ISP and news article.
      It is not false advertising because that is the theoretical maximum, it would be stupid if they said an average, it is convention throughout the world to state the theoretical maximum.

    2. Re. 2.4m now have 20Mbps SJT -- 11/04/08

      Tom, I just checked Telstra internet plans and they clearly say up to 20Mbps.

      http://my.bigpond.com/internetplans/broadband/adsl/overview/default.jsp

      I also went to Optus and they also say up to 20Mbps.

      http://personal.optus.com.au/web/ocaportal.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=personal_broadband_producttypeALLDSL_marketSegmentres&productpath=/personal/internet&FP=/personal/internet/broadband&site=personal

      Whilst internet darling Internode says - speeds of up to an incredible 24Mbps.

      In their defences they all have disclaimers, explaining any discrepancies. Internode actually say, over 63% of these customers are achieving 10 Mbps download synch speed or better .

      http://www.internode.on.net/residential/internet/extreme/

      Doesnt seem to matter what you buy these days theres always a * in there, which you need to refer to.

      It may not be right, but Telstra, Optus and Internode all say up to! So it's not Telstra spin or deception, it's apparently the universal way of selling broadband, at least from the 3 out of 3 companies I checked.

    3. 2.4 million more Aussies now have 20Mbps Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      In addition, I do agree that the headline should be changed but I have realised that all news releases have crap headings.

  12. 20mbps Alex Macaronis -- 11/04/08

    Considering Telstra have had the capability to run at ADSL2+ for a long time now, the fact that they have finally turned it on doesn't really impress me.

    I am an Internode ADSL2+ user, living in inner-suburban Brisbane and since the rain we had earlier in the year, my line speed has dropped from around 4.5mbit to now only 2.5mbit. Admittedly I am about 3KM by cable from the exchange, but I would not expect to lose 2Mbit just because of some rain. I actually lost my phone connection altogether about 2 months ago, and logged a line fault with Telstra which they repaired, so my phone is working well, but my internet connection speed has almost halved.

    The unfortunate thing is, while Telstra can ADSL2+ enable as many exchanges as they like, the terrible condition of the "last mile" means that many users can't access the extra speed anyway. Since my phone service is working fine, and Telstra do not classify low ADSL sync speeds as a line fault, there is basically nothing I can do to fix my diminishing speeds.

    Telstra are also not particularly concerned about ADSL for rural areas. They ran a trial of "Long Line ADSL" some time ago, which was wildly successful, and yet never brought the product to market, instead, choosing to promote Next G for those users (a service which is far more expensive).

    Thanks Telstra.

    1. Internode Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      Gotta love it when Internode customers blame Telstra! Seems all this cheap ull and lss access, actually does come at a price, doesn't it?

    2. Telstra Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      If someone has to wait for Telstra, it isn't their fault?

    3. Tissues sick of all the b*** s*** being written -- 11/04/08

      Alex,

      Give me your address, I will send you 50c and a box of tissues. Use it to wipe your tears and tell someone who cares. You chose to go with a company that wholesales a service from telstra and at the end of the day you can only blame them as they are your supplier, if you have ADSL issues go to your ADSL supplier, if you have voice issues go to your voice supplier.

    4. Wow Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      LMAO. Damn, wouldn't that be great if the everything was that easy.

    5. It is easy Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      It is that easy, if youre Internode and the rest! While everything is going well you bang your chest and when things go wrong, you blame Telstra, easy!

    6. Re:easy Anonymous -- 11/04/08

      Nothing is that simple. :)

  13. Thanks Suzanne SJT -- 11/04/08

    In all the hurly-burly, one thing seems to have been overlooked. That being Suzannes most professional article.

    Kudos to you Suzanne, for highlighting the situation, without (unlike your stablemate Mr. Braue) colouring the information, to pander to one particular telecoms persuasion.

    As you can see, you don't need stupid Brauesque sensationalism to whip up the comments.

    Well done!

  14. 20mbs WHAT A JOKE Anonymous -- 11/04/08

    My exchange is enabled for a mere ADSL and thats where it stays unless you live within 4kms of it.
    Yet I am mere 4 ks from the Perth to Bunbury Hwy whereby fttn runs yet still on copper wire its so laughable.The ABG scheme sucks ie Sat its 3 times the costs of ADSL yet the govt funds 3g$ towards it.
    Over a 100 people when I am want ADSL but Telstral will not do a darned thing, so dial unlimited at a poxy 38.6 kbs remains.
    Why u people complain about slow speeds of 512 or more astounds me when so many outside of city/regional towns get SFA.
    Even 3G sucks as well!!!!!!!
    Soul T & P.Burgess are not interested in telecommuncation service plain old cash and profits so thay can bump up there bonus payments to themselves and that is private enterprise at it empitome. No wonder great civilisations crumble through the want of money.

    regards wayne

  15. 2.4 million more Aussies now have 20Mbps Anonymous -- 11/04/08

    I Live 100km N/E of Perth in the Wheat belt and No matter what, we always seem to Fall into the 2% of Areas that don't get the coverage ( I wonder how many of you get the same excuse ?) everybody else gets OR could afford it if we did get it.

    I am on 256/64 ( Not the True use speed of course from my house) and am about 1/2 km from the Exchange, even if we could get 20mbs here, you would have to consider the cost, unlimited time and bandwidth would be cost prohibitive.

    How could you, if you do get the promised accurate speeds afford the storage space to store all the info you download for cost effectiveness at $49.95 Per Month @ 256/64 Bps Unlimited time and downloads is about all I could handle in time , storage etc 50 gig a month is about all I can Handle.
    Besides just how many web pages , Audio books, Docos , Movies , games ( If you are into them ) chats ,Ims etc etc can you digest and still have a Real life
    I cant wait for the extra speeds BUT I would rather wait for the top speeds over 100MBS or over the power line speeds and not have to "Keep up with the Joneses" every 5 minutes,
    Just so I can brag I have the fastest speeds on the block !
    Patience and Wisdom through age really can be a virtue some times

  16. TO north by northwest of perth Anonymous -- 13/04/08

    hehe thats a joke ok.
    What erks me more most is not being able to download documents which were once available from govt offices/shire or otherwise.
    It assumed by everyone in the City etc we have access to the internet at the same speed they have and that includes mobile phs.It simply is just not true and is blindly bandied around we are thick, even Coonan made such a remark,if she had said that to me I would of king hit the fat slug!!!! I am so angry with what John Howard has done to Tax Payer owned Telstra he should be stuffed with tins of spam and dumped in the ocean for shark food,after all they eat yanks.

    wayne bunbury

  17. Forget Howard Brock Stevens -- 21/04/08

    I know he annoyed so many with selling telstra but get over it. Its not like we can change the past. Lets look to the future which will see improved services for so many people.

    If you live rurally things probably will not get a lot better due to companies not seeing it as a good investment but even if Telstra was still government owned would it see spending so much money in the contry a good investment?

    It could have been the same picture with a different photographer at the helm

  18. unimpressed Anonymous -- 03/05/08

    I have a customer in the sydney metrop area that still cannot get adsl 1 so this is just feelgood hype

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