[LINK] Battery back-up mandatory for NBN?

[Tom Worthington]

Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> On 28/10/2010 9:20 AM, Tom Worthington wrote:
>> My view is that the NBN is intended to replace the current telephone
>> service
> No it isn't. The NBN will be offering new and different services ...

My understanding is that fibre will be laid instead of copper telephone 
cable in "greenfield estates". If you want a telephone service (or data) 
you will need to plug into the NBN box or use wireless.

>> ... will become even more essential to the community, so it
>> needs to be available when the mains power fails.
> That's a statement that needs to be validated. Has it been?

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
issued a "National Broadband Network: Fibre-to-the-premises in
greenfield estates Consultation paper", 29 May 2009, which says:

"With FTTP, battery backup systems need to be provided for lifeline 
services in the event of power failure. It would need to be made clear 
who is responsible for maintaining and testing batteries. This 
responsibility is likely to rest with consumers, the same way that it 
does with other safety equipment, such as fire alarms and smoke
detectors.":
<http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/112554/Fibre_in_greenfields_consultation_paper.pdf>.

I pointed this out on Link (30 May 2009) and argued there (and in other 
forums) that the batteries should be maintained as part of the service 
and not depend on consumer action: 
<http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/link/2009-May/083913.html>.

> Isn't it logical that, if all the other equipment in the premises also 
> fail ...

Medical alert, fire detectors and burglar alarms in the home are battery 
backed and continue working during a power failure. These systems will 
need the telecommunications link to be powered up to be able to 
automatically contact emergency services. If the home owner has a laptop 
computer, that will also work without mains power.

> One of the problems it could well cause is the raising of false 
> expectations. An example is with the recent Tsunami ...

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System functioned: I was woken by the alert
relayed to my mobile phone by SMS. It is unfortunate that the 
infrastructure in Indonesia was not adequate. However, that is no reason
for Australia not to make a relatively small investment for a developed 
country, in providing emergency communications for its citizens.

Detecting and warning of a tsunami in Indonesia is difficult as the 
population is very close to where the tsunami are generated. Australia 
and the USA are likely to have hours warning, whereas for Indonesia it 
may be a few minutes. The German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System 
(GITEWS) attempts to overcome these problems, but "early" is a relative 
term: <http://www.gitews.org/index.php?id=18&L=1>.

It is not just Indonesia which has difficulty with warning systems, as 
this report from the US National Academes of Sciences makes clear: 
"Tsunami Warning and Preparedness: An Assessment of the U.S. Tsunami 
Program and the Nation's Preparedness Efforts" 
<http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Tsunami-Warning-Preparedness-Assessment/12628>.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science, The
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/