[LINK] Turnbull's address to the National Press Club

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Bernard 
> Robertson-Dunn
> Sent: Thursday, 4 August 2011 3:00 PM
> To: link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> Subject: Re: [LINK] Turnbull's address to the National Press Club
> 
> 
> Re 
> http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/395914/conroy_turnbull_wants_
lock_australia_into_13mbps_nbn_world/

At the end is this statement:
"The fact OPEL had no spectrum meant it could not propagate more than 
1.2km from a tower and this is not comparable to the LTE network which 
will be rollout out for the NBN, according to Senator Conroy."

Can anyone tell me what is really meant by "The fact OPEL had no 
spectrum meant it could not propagate more than 1.2km from a tower ..."?


Mr. Turnbull obviously got it wrong Bernard.

This blog article http://www.tocpcs.com/opel-scores-austar-spectrum/
stipulates that Opel was going to use the err, gasp the same sprectrum
that the NBN are now going to use. (Replicated here for posterity)

Gee, golly gosh. (And please to note how much Opel paid and then how
much the NBN paid.....) Hmmm.
======================================
Quote/
Austar has sold its spectrum to OPEL for $65 million dollars. Bargain!

The questions for me it raises are:
1. OPEL is obviously changing from the 5Ghz spectrum to the 2.3 and
2.5Ghz spectrum. The maps previously released on the broadband now
website must now be out of date and the range must therefore be longer.
When will the community be updated with this news and coverage plans?

2. Seven bought up Unwired, and were aiming for the Austar spectrum in a
move that looked as though they wanted to be a Video, Voice and Internet
supplier. Without the spectrum in regional areas, are they planning on
instead just targetting metro, or will they wholesale from OPEL?

3. OPEL have now got new plans for new equipment, will they be rolling
out mobile WiMAX, or sticking with fixed but using the different
spectrum?

4. Austar have also stated they will have wholesale agreements with
Optus, are these incentive based agreements with Optus to cover for what
could be described as a $50 million spectrum price shortfall, or were
Austar really just 'very nice' in the price they accepted?

5. Will Austar be removing its WiMAX network in the areas it is rolled
out as a trial?

The news seems a little out of touch with expectations. I assumed Austar
would have got greedy, much like a domain squatter and made both sides
bid til they got angry for the spectrum.

Seven would have, imaginably fought hard for it, the idea they SEEM to
have (but is unconfirmed) is probably destined to provide a great deal
of market capitalisation for them, and translatable profit.

OPEL on the other hand won't be expecting wholesale profit at amazing
levels like Seven's retail products could be, but, OPEL will have their
independant retailers, Optus and Elders, making the larger profits.

This simply leaves us to believe more so that there are interesting
times ahead in a market that is at times settled, yet active, and angry,
yet relieved.

In related news, Austar can be quoted as saying they expect to begin
wholesaling at the end of 2008, which still raises questions over how
the network will be ready. I can understand ADSL2+ could be ready
though, which might be the target angle of the comments (wholesaling
ADSL2+).
/Quote.

TomK