[LINK] Considering Fibre to the Home [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Carl Makin]

On 07/05/2007, at 12:29 PM, Martin Barry wrote:

> $quoted_author = "Matthew Sullivan" ;
>>
>> ... on the same subject, I was under the impression that Canberra
>> actually had some FTTH in the recent past... If I remember the  
>> details
>

> http://www.transact.com.au/about/ourcompany.aspx
>
> "Since 2001 TransACT has been rolling out a fibre-optic network to  
> provide
> Canberra and Queanbeyan with the next generation of communication  
> services."

It's not Fibre-to-the-home, but Fibre-to-the-kerb and then a wired  
connection to the house, with about 15 or 20 houses (from memory as I  
can't find this on their website anymore) sharing the fibre connection.

The broadband component (TransWeb) seems to be limited to 2Mbps/ 
256kbps if you're on cable.  They do offer a 20Mbps/1Mbps connection  
but by reselling somebody else's ADSL2+ service.

In a bureaucratic stuffup of enormous dimensions, Gungahlin (a  
northern satellite city of Canberra) was originally supposed to be a  
Telstra "fibre showcase" area with a "modern" fibre network for  
"advanced communications", however Telstra pulled out late in the  
area's development and the area now has the worst communications  
infrastructure around.  Pretty much everyone is on a RIM and ADSL 1  
is impossible in many places.  I know a few IT guys who purchased a  
house out there for the "advanced communications system" and are now  
pretty bitter about it.


Carl.