Reasons for BRI ISDN

[ianp@peg.apc.org]

At 10:59 AM 13/11/96 +1100, Robert Hart wrote:
>On Wed, 13 Nov 1996, Ron Ipsen wrote:
>
>> At 15:12 11/11/96 -0700, Jan wrote:
>> >Reason for BRI ISDN: rural connectivity for videoconferencing and other
>> >non-POTS services.
>> >
>> >I don't see the cable roll outs going past many bush
>> >doorsteps/laneways/etc.  Once again, it's all well and good to talk about
>> >the CBDs, but the CBDs have ALWAYS been privileged.  Not all business or
>> >education or public service is done there. 
>> >
>> >
>>  While this is true there are a plethora of cable companies scrambling to
>> tie up the more profitable regional areas to cable network systems.
>
And that's the basic problem. They will pick the eyes out of regional
Australia and the rest will have a declining standard of service.

We have been looking at this at Norlink. We have an "eye" that will be
picked around Ballina/Lismore/Byron Bay, but not much hope for the rest of
the region.

The only possible relief we can see is governments using purchasing power to
influence events. If we could get NSW and Commonwealth governments to both
look at contracting to a regional carrier to provide telecommunications
services, the value of that purchasing power, combined with industry needs
and some stimulated community demand, might be enough to make services
possible to smaller areas. That sort of thing has been possible in other
integrated community network sites overseas.

It's a good solution for government - simply using existing levels of
purchasing power at no extra cost to influence regional development, rather
than having to spend millions of dollars rectifying rural decline.

In our area, we estimate that over 80% of immediate demand for broadband
services is government related (health, education, local government, etc).
State government demand would be larger than commonwealth.

Norlink wants to create a vehicle through which tiers of government can
co-operate to provide services in the region.It's not an easy task, but the
economic arguments for doing so are compelling.

Ian Peter