Internode managing director Simon Hackett this week said he had doubts about whether the National Broadband Network would ever be built and questioned whether it was worth the effort.
Simon Hackett
(Credit: Internode)
"We might get a decision by 2010 to build a network by 2015 that will be completely obsolete by 2020," said Hackett in a podcast for ZDNet.com.au sister site BNET Australia.
Instead, the executive suggested Telstra bite the bullet and build a Fibre to the Home (FttH) network. Hackett would be happy to see Telstra operate this network without open access to rivals.
Competition would be provided by ISPs like Internode who would still retain access to the existing copper networks. It would enable a lower-priced product to be available in higher density areas, allowing consumers to choose between price and speed.
If the FTN project does happen Hackett says he'd prefer the Optus-led Terria consortium (which includes Internode) to win the bid, but suspects such an outcome would delay the roll-out because of inevitable litigation. If Telstra didn't win it was likely to sue the winning bidder "into the stone age", Hackett said.
His prediction was that, at the start of the next election, there would be no network, just a massive court case.
Mr Hackett seems to assume that everyone has some form of broadband NOW. Many of us are desparate for reasonable, business server oriented broadband of any sort, being stuck as we are on dreadful Telstra RIM/multiplexor/pair gain circuits with performance in the 35K bit/sec arena! And Telstra's Trujillo and Board apparently could not care less about this situation (at least in our area on the Gold Coast)! No upgrade time even mentioned!
Remember, Mr Hackett, we cannot even reasonably keep any form of home/small business computer software patching up to date at all and even anti-virus tables are getting too much - a major security risk!
We need Internode, for example, to get us a quicker fix, e.g. the new and better WIMAX (IEEE 802.16) wireless system - over to you. Think of some new business opportunities for regional/suburban Australia outside the capital cities.
After all what is the point, Mr Hackett, of getting the usual Internode useless reply as follows when we check for your company's services:
"Please note that this coverage check does not guarantee that Internode ADSL services are available at your premises - only that services are available at your local exchange. In certain cases there may be technology blockers between your premises and the exchange, and these can limit the availability of certain Internode ADSL service types."
What a pointless non-service for Australians!
We need you behind urgent broadband upgrades for us all - not just a business "hanging" onto Telstra "coat-tails".