Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has hit back at criticism the government's fibre-to-the-node tender documents are far too light on detail, saying they were designed that way.
The government has put out a tender for technical advice to help assess private sector proposals for the rollout of its national fibre-to-the-node network.
Senator Stephen Conroy has stonewalled the Opposition today by limiting his responses to questions regarding the tender process for the national fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network at a parliamentary hearing.
The competition to build the national fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) broadband network has started today, with Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy officially calling for telcos wanting to build the network to come forward.
Optus has threatened to pull out of the fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) tender process unless the government approves operational separation for Telstra and a delay to the bid deadline, while Telstra has threatened to withdraw if it does.
For no particular reason that I can discern, a 1979 Kenny Rogers song popped into my head as I was considering the ever more complex morass that is the national broadband network tender which Senator Stephen Conroy defended in his CeBIT keynote speech.
Post-election adrenaline surging through his veins, one of the first acts performed by new Communications Minister Stephen Conroy was to disband the expert panel that his predecessor Helen Coonan had appointed last June to evaluate tenders for fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) construction.
As Christmas roars in upon us and the Rudds, Trujillos, and Conroys of the world hang their Christmas stockings, everybody is casting an eye to 2008 and the changes it will bring.
South Australia's Yorke Peninsula with just 11,780 people spread across 5,834 square kilometres, is known more for its rugged natural beauty than its technological prowess. But now that Internode has brought broadband to the entire peninsula, the area has become a very important part of Australia's telegeography.
Fair is not what the National Broadband Network tender is about; it's bloodsport, and a fight for survival, and a challenge of the wills, and all the other sorts of superlatives you might expect from an Olympics announcer.
Ahead of the election, with promises for nationwide broadband networks and digital revolutions in schools, the ICT industry could hope the government was on their side. But now the glamour of a sparkling new government has worn off, how ICT-friendly is the Rudd government really?
An analysis by representatives of Australia's two largest IT industry groups shows that neither political party in the federal election has come up with a comprehensive policy around technology.
History of British PCs
The cash-strapped UK National Museum of Computing is home to an exhibition of the evolution of British PCs.… Watch it now
In this exclusive video interview, Optus chief information officer Lawrie Turner speaks to ZDNet.com.au about being the IT head for Australia's number two telco.
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