[The Australian] Work begins on Australian NGN Fibre Network

trekkypj

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/fire-optic-network-backbone-begins/story-e6frg6nf-1225826901841

Fire-optic network backbone begins

* Mitchell Bingemann
* From: The Australian
* February 05, 2010 12:00AM



THE federal government is a week away from seeing the first sod of soil turned in the construction of fibre-optic backbone links for its ambitious $43 billion national broadband network.

Mount Isa in northwest Queensland will be the first site in mainland Australia to have fibre-optic lines laid as part of the government's $250 million regional backbone blackspots program.

The program seeks to alleviate the strangled state of broadband competition in rural regions ahead of the construction of the NBN in metropolitan areas.

Leighton Holdings' Nextgen Networks was awarded the lucrative contract to dig the trenches and lay fibre for the links in December last year.

Mount Isa falls on one of six fibre-optic backbone links that will be built to connect 100 regional towns around the nation to the high-speed broadband network.

The site was chosen as the starting point as it marks the halfway point in the longest back-haul fibre link, which runs between Darwin, Longreach and Emerald. When complete the link -- which has been budgeted to cost $125.5m -- will measure 3835km.

In all, Nextgen will lay out more than 6000km of fibre-optic lines that will pass major regional locations -- including Geraldton in Western Australia, Darwin in the Northern Territory and Broken Hill in NSW -- to bring competing wholesale back-haul services to areas where Telstra is usually the only choice of broadband supplier.

Construction of the entire project is expected to be completed within 18 months.

The project is expected to pass about 400,000 people in rural Australia and will create about 1000 full-time jobs.

Meanwhile, Telstra chief executive David Thodey has been in Canberra in a bid to finalise negotiations that will secure Telstra's participation in the NBN.

The government is confident it will soon have an announcement to make on the crucial deal that will guarantee the migration of Telstra's traffic on to the NBN. However, a definitive deal is not expected to be concluded ahead of the telco's interim results next week.

It is understood that the government and Telstra have settled all elements of the deal bar the crucial point of how much compensation the telco will receive for the migration of its traffic.

Fair play to the Aussies. They seem to be getting on with it. A pity our lot, with less ground to cover, can't manage it.

clohamon

'Classy' and 'Australian' - two words you don't often see close together.

And some hard facts faced..

• The incumbent Telstra (wholesale) would have to be cleared off the pitch.
• The project would take a long time.
• The project would be extremely expensive.
• The private sector would not be a reliable partner over an entire business cycle, thus requiring even more state money.
• FTTN is a waste of money if the endgame is FTTH.

The NBN plan here. And the NBN website here

trekkypj

clohamon wrote: »

'Classy' and 'Australian' - two words you don't often see close together.

And some hard facts faced..

• The incumbent Telstra (wholesale) would have to be cleared off the pitch.
• The project would take a long time.
• The project would be extremely expensive.
• The private sector would not be a reliable partner over an entire business cycle, thus requiring even more state money.
• FTTN is a waste of money if the endgame is FTTH.

The NBN plan here. And the NBN website here

No doubt you're right. But it's progress, nonetheless. Which is more than can be said for what's happening here.

clohamon

Maybe I wasn't clear Trekkypj. I'm a big fan of what they they're trying to do, despite the difficulties they face.

bealtine

clohamon wrote: »

Maybe I wasn't clear Trekkypj. I'm a big fan of what they they're trying to do, despite the difficulties they face.

You don't hear a lot of "no can do because the houses are too far apart" stuff down there, considering it's a continent not a small island. They identified the issues and ways to overcome those issues and just got on with it. Set up the structures and got down to the work.

We of course the "smart economy" of Europe can't even make a coherent start.

Not like the self proclaimed "it can't be done" internet police that seem to have invaded boards of late.

trekkypj

clohamon wrote: »

Maybe I wasn't clear Trekkypj. I'm a big fan of what they they're trying to do, despite the difficulties they face.

Nah you're alright - touch of brain fade on my part. Caffeine deficiency.

It's certainly a daunting prospect. But that said, if the Aussies make their minds up to do something, it gets done. We could do with some of that attitude instead of the usual spin bs about the 'knowledge economy'.

banquo

"But you've got broadband, it's as fast as it comes!"

'Broadband' = a static, fixed entity in the minds of the cluess.

I'm not complaining. I've got broadband from 02. Oh, wait...