Broadband uptake warning issues by expert

Interest in the new National Broadband network that is being introduced to Tasmania by the federal government could see limited interest at the moment due to there being very few services that will make use of these new super fast broadband speeds according to a telecommunications expert.

A lack of both services and competition has led to an expert on telecommunications warning that there is likely to be a slow take-up of broadband services over the National Broadband Network in Tasmania

Although the NBN, which is valued at around $43 billion and will be deploying a fibre optic broadband network throughout the state of Tasmania, could potentially provide the fastest broadband connections available in Australia it could also offer customers a whole range of brand new services including secure data, telecommunications and television.

It will be many years before Tasmanian users see the full capabilities of the new broadband network that could offer users high-speed connections of up to 100Mbps according to Geof Heyden, the director of marketing development and innovation at Alcatel Australia.

The current broadband infrastructure has been likened to a dirt road by Mr Heydon and he has also said that laying bitumen on the road is also like deploying the new national fibre-optic broadband network.

He went on the add, however, that it would be like riding a horse and cart on the new road if new services and facilities are not created to allow users to take full advantage of the new connection speeds that are available.

Mr Heydon advised “If the first few communities in Tasmania are all that’s connected to the national infrastructure at that moment, then it will be difficult for a large service provider to come in and really offer advanced services into that community.”

Source – ABC