Australia's IT execs believe that a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) deployment is necessary to bolster the country's wealth -- but most believe there won't be a resolution to the fibre question any time soon.
A survey carried out by Telsyte for KPMG and the Communications Alliance of ICT professionals, found that around 70 percent of respondents believe FTTN would make a significant difference to the Australian economy -- but the average respondent was not convinced that the fibre will be installed within four years.
Such a deployment is currently under government review, with bidders including Telstra and the Optus-led G9 consortium vying for the right to build the network. Once the deployment is completed, urban areas of Australia will be able to access much higher speed broadband.
Although many believe fibre could be a boon to the country, the survey suggests that it's better broadband rather than FTTN itself that the IT industry is barracking for -- over 70 percent are also of the opinion that FTTN is not the only technology and there are alternative solutions that would also increase broadband take-up.
The industry also believes that there are still issues that need to be resolved around any fibre rollout, however. Some 60 percent of those surveyed said whoever owned the network would be an important factor in its success and 85 percent thought the regulatory regime surrounding the network would have greater impact on its effectiveness.
Despite the controversy that surrounds the government's broadband strategy, the KPMG/Communications Alliance study found that ICT professionals are, overall, positive about the outlook for their industry.
Communications Alliance CEO Anne Hurley told ZDNet Australia: "Looking at the results, there was general optimism... it's a pleasant surprise. If you read press reports over the last six months, it's all about the industry arguing and debating over every small point but I think it's an interpretation of the industry, and it's more interaction and discussion. It's the sign of a maturing industry".
According to the figures, 80 percent of respondents expected their companies to grow within the next 12 months and 75 percent believed their business would expand its range of activities in the coming year.
In all the discussions about FTTN, why aren't we talking about FTTH?
If you really want to revolutionise Australia's information economy, give the consumers and producers access to a network that can really let them fly.