[LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
David Boxall
david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au
Thu, 31 Oct 2002 21:32:44 +1100
> If I bought a decent modem but didn't try and tweak the connection, what
> would I expect?
If you bought the modem I recommend for this area (Maestro Woomera),
left it at the default Expert mode and allowed time for it to adjust
itself to the line, I expect you would get 26.4 to 28.8 kb/s most of
the time. That doesn't require any technical knowledge, just a
willingness to spend ~$300 on a modem.
There is a problem with distinctly non-technical people buying a
computer "with the Internet". What they get is the cheapest internal
modem (WinModem?) that passes muster in the shop. Those things
frequently fail to even connect out here. Try convincing a retired
farmer that, after spending ~$3000 on a new system which the vendor
told him would connect to the Internet, he needs to spend another
$300. This after a series of bad experiences have turned him off the
idea of the Internet altogether. Shouldn't the network be up to the
task without such expense & aggravation for subscribers?
> how close does the fibre from Cessnock come to the area
There is fibre along Wollombi Road, which comes within 5 km. At
least, I believe that to be the case. I don't think Telstra has ever
given me a straight answer about the infrastructure. Our phone
services use copper from the exchange. The fibre parallels the
copper, I believe.
Our line comes into the area via Bellbird, over Mount View at
Bimbadeen lookout. The fibre runs through Bellbird, but probably
comes closest to the area at Millfield (closer to Wollombi). There's
a (rather too large) map at
<http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~dddab/images/Map3.png>
which might help.
> Is Internet connection sharing feasible
Distances are too great for cable. The area is too mountainous for
wireless. Difficult.
> would Hunterlink play along?
They've been very accommodating in the past, but I believe the
company recently consolidated with a larger one which has a
reputation for less flexibility.
______________________________________________________________________
Information technology has the incredible potential to serve human
needs and help us improve the way we live and work. But to get there
we must focus on making our systems profoundly human-centered. --
>From "The Invisible Future" by Peter J. Denning
From: "Chirgwin, Richard"
<Richard.Chirgwin@informa.com.au>
To: "'david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au'"
<david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au>
Subject: RE: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural
area.
Date sent: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 07:42:59 +1000
> David,
>
> The 15km is the starting point. That's way beyond ADSL, and in fact
> beyond the spec for a 56k modem (around 8km from memory) - which
> explains why you had to put in effort to get 28k dialup reliable.
>
> OK; you're able to get 28k with effort; what would a non-technical
> user get in this circumstance? If I bought a decent modem but didn't
> try and tweak the connection, what would I expect? - because even from
> an engineer's point of view, something that boosted 99% of users from
> 19.2 to 26k is good even if the other 1% lose 2kb/second.
>
> I missed a really dumb question, of course. So I'll ask it now: how
> close does the fibre from Cessnock come to the area we're talking
> about? Is Internet connection sharing feasible where you are - and
> would Hunterlink play along?
>
> Richard
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: David Boxall [mailto:david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au]
> > Sent: Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:30
> > To: Chirgwin, Richard
> > Subject: RE: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
> >
> >
> > On 28 October 2002, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
> >
> > > Mt View is somewhere between Wollombi and Cessnock?
> > The most distant subscriber is about 15 km from Cessnock exchange.
> > Though rural in character, Telstra classifies the area as urban.
> >
> > > what solutions would be suitable
> > I'm not qualified to say. That's one very good reason for posting
> > to Link. Perusing the CEPU submission and allowing for the fact that
> > broadband is not an issue, perhaps ANT-1, I-RIM or C-MUX? According
> > to the CEPU submission, the dial-up potential of a SCAD is lower
> > than the service level usually achieved (albeit with some effort and
> > expense on my part) at present. What would you suggest?
> >
> > Broadband is not an issue purely on cost grounds. Once the price
> > drops to something realistic, it will become an issue. That said,
> > wouldn't adept management (given the costs of getting personnel,
> > equipment and materiel into the area) make allowance for it?
> >
> >
> > From: "Chirgwin, Richard"
> > <Richard.Chirgwin@informa.com.au>
> > To: link@www.anu.edu.au
> > Subject: RE: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for
> > one small rural
> > area.
> > Date sent: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:34:48 +1000
> >
> > > David,
> > >
> > > Correct me if I'm wrong ... from my knowledge, admittedly
> > incomplete,
> > > of the area we're talking about, Mt View is somewhere
> > between Wollombi
> > > and Cessnock?
> > >
> > > My point is to ask a question: going along with the
> > contention that a
> > > SCAD would be inappropriate, what solutions would be suitable in
> > > what's a moderately remote location?
> > >
> > > Richard Chirgwin
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: David Boxall [mailto:david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au]
> > > > Sent: Sunday, 27 October 2002 15:32
> > > > To: link@www.anu.edu.au
> > > > Cc: Phil Lammert; Col Gillespie; j.fitzgibbon.mp@aph.gov.au;
> > > > kerry.hickey@parliament.nsw.gov.au; Consumers'
> > > > telecommunications Network; Australian Consumers' Association
> > > > Subject: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Hello again Linkers,
> > > >
> > > > Forwarded below is my latest message to Telstra. Once
> > again, there
> > > > has been no e-mailed response, just another message on my
> > answering
> > > > machine from Phil Lammert. The message says that: - Telstra is
> > > > "putting something in writing", which is "being approved at the
> > > > moment". Sounds like any communication not oral is a big thing
> > > > to Telstra. - "It's true we are putting a SCAD in there, but not
> > > > for some time". If it's not going to do the job, does a
> > delay make much
> > > > difference? - "the SCAD that we put in there will be ISDN
> > capable".
> > > > Aren't they all? - "We're also doing a number of other things to
> > > > ensure people get good Internet". What's good Internet? 26
> > > > kb/s isn't.
> > > >
> > > > ------- Forwarded message follows -------
> > > > From: "David Boxall" <dddab@hunterlink.net.au>
> > > > Send reply to: dddab@hunterlink.net.au
> > > > To: phil.lammert@team.telstra.com
> > > > Date sent: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 11:33:41 +1000
> > > > Subject: Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
> > > >
> > > > Hi Phil,
> > > >
> > > > A week has passed and I have no answer to my enquiry.
> > > >
> > > > Silence constituting assent, you have agreed that proposed work
> > > > on the network in the Mt View/Mt Bright/Mt Baker area, while it
> > > > might increase the quantity of services, will decrease aspects
> > > > of the quality of service. You also implicitly acknowledge that
> > > >
> > the whole
> > > > story was not presented at our meeting in August.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > That said, the CEPU submission mentioned in my first message
> > > > indicates that more modern, more capable solutions are
> > > > available. Please tell me why the solution chosen is not one
> > > > that
> > will meet the
> > > > current need. As both shareholder and customer, I'm deeply
> > > > concerned at the proposal to waste Telstra resources on a
> > > > project that will not do the job, when there is technology
> > > > available that will.
> > > >
> > > > Please reply by e-mail. As before, your response - or
> > not - will be
> > > > promulgated this weekend.
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====
David Boxall | The more I learn
david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au | The more I realise
| How little I know