[LINK] NBN widening digital divide in bush

[David Boxall]

On 14/07/2011 3:51 PM, Birch, Jim wrote:
> ...
> Do you think the people in Australian Antarctic Territories should be on
> the fibre network too? ...
If they're currently on the copper network, yes.

> ...
> If a national phone system was being put in now it would have a much
> more wireless. ...
You're not equating wireless with fibre (or even copper), I hope.

> ...
> That said, I think we will get more fibre to more remote spots as time
> goes on and the bandwidth requirement for "normal" connection to the
> world grows.
>...
Exactly. The argument for fibre is not "What will we do with all that 
bandwidth?", but "What do you think will stop the rise in demand for 
bandwidth?". Not "Can we afford it?", but "Can we afford to be without it?"

To that I'll add that overhead fibre is an expensive, temporary, fix. 
For the (very) short-term (in fixed-line applications), wireless is more 
cost-effective.

-- 
David Boxall                    |  My figures are just as good
                                |  as any other figures.
http://david.boxall.id.au       |  I make them up myself, and they
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                                |                     --HL Mencken