NBN fixed focus is reckless: Turnbull

Wireless is the way of the world but government fixated with fixed connections

The Internet world is turning wireless yet the federal government is fixated on fixed connections, according to Opposition communications spokesperson, Malcolm Turnbull.

Overseas trends in Internet use were moving from fixed connections to wireless, Turnbull said.

"Internationally, more and more households are moving to be wireless only," he told ABC Television on Wednesday.

"In the United States, it is in the 20-25 per cent range which is a lot higher than it is here at the moment."

An increase in delivery platforms for the internet dismissed the need for the federal government to build a fibre-to-the-home network as proposed by the $36 billion National Broadband Network (NBN), Turnbull said.

"This one size fits all approach that the government is taking is really so reckless and so unnecessarily extravagant," he said.

Last week Telstra announced the telco would rollout its upgraded 4G wireless network by the end of 2011.

"4G wireless is very high speed wireless, it offers faster speed than you can get on fixed line broadband today," Turnbull said.

"And because of the convenience of mobility it will be a very compelling competitor (to the NBN)."

Turnbull said there was a worry about the loss of bandwidth for wireless Internet users as more used it but many preferred being mobile.

"It is a reason, but it seems to be lost on the global population," he said.

"The Internet is becoming a wireless Internet.

"This year, 2011, will be the year in which there are more wireless internet connected devices sold, such as smart phones, tablets and iPhones and so forth than laptops and desktops."

More about: ABC, ABC, etwork, Telstra

Comments

1

john_ballment

Thu 24/02/2011 - 14:57

Well, I don't know about you but I don't want to see more and more mobile towers to handle everyone being connected wirelessly to get high speed broadband. They will end up needing one in each street.

From what I've read, sensible countries (unlike the US), are trying to move uses of mobile broadband and back to WiFi (802.11b/g/n) due to spectrum and congestion issues (and our carriers already are being sued for lack of performance).

Also, I'm sure I read somewhere that 4G doesn't have separate voice and data - everything runs as data packets. Does this mean my voice calls are going to be cut out or choppy because my neighbour is downloading a 4Gb movie???

2

Francis

Thu 24/02/2011 - 20:21

Fibre to premises is necessary for tomorrow's blanket wireless to work.

Today many smartphones and tablets will already roam to cheaper, more robust, lower-latency WiFi in buildings where available. Fixed data is vastly cheaper and the signal is good enough to sustain VoIP voice calls.

In a few years, all but 7% of premises will have fixed fibre and most will share it with WiFi. Probably 99% of the time a mobile device will be in range of WiFi in or near a building, making video and voice calls essentially free (because almost every phone in the country will be on the NBN, and VoIP-to-VoIP has no last-mile copper cost).

So only when in a remote area, or in transit between WiFi-equipped buildings, will mobile devices need wireless broadband, dramatically reducing the towers and spectrum needed to deliver good blanket wireless coverage.

Fibre to premises is the greenest solution for the future communications of our country. It doesn't replace wireless at all, it complements it, but wireless without fibre will grind to a halt as it often does now.

3

Francis

Thu 24/02/2011 - 20:24

You got one thing right, Malcolm. 4G wireless promises faster speeds than the 2 Mbps median speed of ADSL today. Put more than a few users on a cell and 4G delivers about 3 Mbps, in bursts and with dropouts. Ask any American.

4

Adam

Sat 26/02/2011 - 08:17

No doubt we need fibre for capacity. No doubt we need wireless for convenience. And no doubt over the life of the broadband project the technology will change in ways we can't even imagine today. The laws of physics are immutable, but we keep thinking of new ways to manipulate them.

So why does anyone think they can pick with certainty how things will look in ten years, and why isn't there a plan that has room to evolve as the technology does?

5

D Newman

Sat 26/02/2011 - 13:31

@4 well if you want a nick picking reply here is one view, or opinion.
Fibre cable itself is unbeatable, end of , its light speed, forget even trying to argue that something will replace it, aint gonna happen.
===HOWEVER===(overly highlighted for the speed readers)what plugs into the fibre is the important thing, the tech that goes at the ends, and the systems that it.

So as you can see Adam fibre is a plan in itself for future changes, because even wireless needs fibre.

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