Author Topic: eevBLAB #17 - The Australian NBN SUCKS  (Read 49951 times)

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Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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eevBLAB #17 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« on: October 13, 2015, 01:32:09 am »
The $30BN+ National Broadband Network (NBN) was supposed to catapult Australia into being a world leader in internet communications. How's it looking so far for businesses that drive the Australian economy?
Dave looks at the roll-out map to see if the NBN is in any business parks in Sydney yet.

« Last Edit: October 13, 2015, 11:58:35 am by EEVblog »
 

Offline aargee

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2015, 02:08:42 am »
I imagine that most of the business parks are making good money for the telecom providers using existing services. We've been able to see the NBN area from our driveway for 18 months, it doesn't get any closer any sooner.

But, with any luck things will improve. At least the current PM is not as technologically challenged and we hopefully won't get as many drongo policies.
Not easy, not hard, just need to be incentivised.
 

Offline nowlan

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2015, 02:59:55 am »
Hmmm. There are a lot of flats/unit being built around me. I saw the NBNCo van across the street when the new flats went up.
When I check the nbn website, and enter my address it says not available in my street.
"The rollout of the nbn™ network has not started yet in this location."

My Cisco teacher isnt a fan of the NBN or gpon.
 

Offline 5ky

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2015, 03:02:30 am »
I was pretty salty about being TWO MILES away from the nearest Google "Fiberhood", but I guess I can't complain after seeing what you're stuck with.  Nearly every person I work with at my day job has Google Fiber and I'm jealous beyond belief.  Gigabit down AND up for $80/mo.  Insanity.  (to add salt to the wound, my MOM has google fiber)

I think I pay about $60 a month for 300 Mbps down, 25 Mbps up.  Not the fastest by a long shot but it's probably as good as I can get on copper.

EDIT: I looked up the NBN prices and they aren't bad at all!  They seem fairly comparable to the rest of the world.   Does all internet in AU have monthly bandwidth caps?
« Last Edit: October 13, 2015, 03:22:05 am by 5ky »
 

Offline vk6zgo

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2015, 04:22:05 am »
I imagine that most of the business parks are making good money for the telecom providers using existing services. We've been able to see the NBN area from our driveway for 18 months, it doesn't get any closer any sooner.

But, with any luck things will improve. At least the current PM is not as technologically challenged and we hopefully won't get as many drongo policies.
I wouldn't hold your breath---he was the Communications Minister who though up "Fibre to the node"!
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2015, 04:22:36 am »
Does all internet in AU have monthly bandwidth caps?

Most of them, yep. Unusual not to plan plan with a data cap.
 

Offline minionkevin

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2015, 04:55:33 am »
They put in residential first to get the voters. I don't think they are too motivated for smaller voting blocks. does NBN even perform better?
 

Offline DrGeoff

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2015, 05:07:37 am »
Nothing unexpected here with this political hot potato.
Was it really supposed to do that?
 

Offline Muttley Snickers

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2015, 05:14:32 am »
Whilst your about it find out where the NBN Co headquarters are and zoom in on that, wouldn't that be hilarious if they themselves are still without.

 

Offline miguelvp

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2015, 05:29:31 am »
Same thing in the US, commercial internet is pricey, residential is cheap.

Government can't compete with business providers because they will take away jobs or something.

 

Offline nowlan

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #10 on: October 13, 2015, 06:38:42 am »
Whilst your about it find out where the NBN Co headquarters are and zoom in on that, wouldn't that be hilarious if they themselves are still without.
Address: Arthur St, North Sydney NSW 2060
 

Offline vk6zgo

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #11 on: October 13, 2015, 06:40:57 am »
I imagine that most of the business parks are making good money for the telecom providers using existing services. We've been able to see the NBN area from our driveway for 18 months, it doesn't get any closer any sooner.

But, with any luck things will improve. At least the current PM is not as technologically challenged and we hopefully won't get as many drongo policies.
I wouldn't hold your breath---he was the Communications Minister who though up "Fibre to the node"!
Did he think it up or was he just stuck with a politically motivated choice that he had to implement? He has a difficult time of it trying to unwind what he must think are some pretty silly politically opportunistic policy ideas. He can't just openly admit to them as such because he would be crucified.

I think Malcolm has pretty much aligned himself with this idea---he was supposedly the ECCHH! "Tech Savvy" member of Cabinet.

On the face of it,it isn't a bad concept---Use the existing copper wire for a short run only,phones can be powered from the "node",so no loss of use if the household power goes off,etc.

The downside is poorer Internet speeds,even with nice new copper cables.
The existing cable runs aren't always conveniently situated to connect to a "node",nor are they in good condition.
 

Offline rollatorwieltje

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2015, 08:36:47 am »
Something you have to keep in mind with those business lines is that the specified bandwidth is usually guaranteed. Consumer lines usually are overbooked about 25 to 50 times. Not that I'm complaining, I get 120/10Mbit for something like €60 a month and the service is great, It's almost never slower than 100 Mbit down. There's effectively no data limit, it's "fair use policy". Last time I checked I used about 200GB per month (3 active users).
Business lines over here are relatively expensive too, 15/15 costs about €300 per month with 10:1 overbooking.
 

Offline Psi

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #13 on: October 13, 2015, 08:55:26 am »
I have fiber to the telecom cabinet at the bottom of the street, then fullspeed VDSL for the 200m to the house.
~NZ$99 a month. 50GB included in price

This is the cabinet  :-DD


Greek letter 'Psi' (not Pounds per Square Inch)
 

Offline stuarts

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #14 on: October 13, 2015, 09:24:37 am »
In my case NBN stands for No Broadband Nearby.

The old NBN website at least gave you an idea of the progress and outlook. The new one tells you almost nothing.

 

Offline stuarts

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #15 on: October 13, 2015, 09:31:33 am »
Based on the amount of money spent and the number of residences connected, $40B was just dreaming. If they can complete it under $80B I would be really surprised. At the current rate, most of us will be lucky if we see a connection in the next 10 to 15 years.
 

Offline con-f-use

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #16 on: October 13, 2015, 09:56:00 am »
Even in the shitty parts of Austria, you can get 75 Mbit for €20. And Austria is neither a big country nor especially advanced.
« Last Edit: October 13, 2015, 09:57:42 am by con-f-use »
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #17 on: October 13, 2015, 10:03:29 am »
I think Malcolm has pretty much aligned himself with this idea---he was supposedly the ECCHH! "Tech Savvy" member of Cabinet.

As the former founder and CEO of OzEmail, yes, he's the "tech savvy" one of the lot  :scared:
 

Offline German_EE

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #18 on: October 13, 2015, 10:10:54 am »
Dave, I don't think you appreciate the amazing hassle of rolling out fiber to the kerb. I was living in Manchester when Nynex cabled the city and I watched as they dug up every street so that they could lay their green conduit in preparation for the cables. The disruption was terrible and the traffic problems were annoying beyond belief. Thankfully the job only needed to be done once and as technology improved the coax was taken out and replaced by fiber by using the old cables to pull through the new but even now, decades later, you can still see the scars on the pavements where the work was done.
Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.

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Offline Muttley Snickers

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #19 on: October 13, 2015, 10:17:44 am »
I was just reading a couple of newspaper articles where in some rural areas the fibre optic cable that was being laid as part of the NBN roll out was being destroyed by rats chewing through it, apparently they have now remedied the situation.

Drats, drats and hungry rats........ :palm:


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Offline lwatts666

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #20 on: October 13, 2015, 10:48:45 am »
The quoted connections are 'ready for service', not actual signed up customers. Put fibre into the basement of a unit complex and score 100+ 'ready for service' connections with nearly the same effort as as a single house/factory.

I guess this is what happens when your bonus/job/credibility depended only on a 'ready for service' KPIs...



 
 

Offline vk6zgo

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #21 on: October 13, 2015, 10:53:08 am »
Dave, I don't think you appreciate the amazing hassle of rolling out fiber to the kerb. I was living in Manchester when Nynex cabled the city and I watched as they dug up every street so that they could lay their green conduit in preparation for the cables. The disruption was terrible and the traffic problems were annoying beyond belief. Thankfully the job only needed to be done once and as technology improved the coax was taken out and replaced by fiber by using the old cables to pull through the new but even now, decades later, you can still see the scars on the pavements where the work was done.

Then again,they do things like that in the UK.(leaving the "scar",I mean).

In Perth WA,back in the 1970s,when they replaced the old "rubber tube" type traffic light sensors with sensor loops,they removed the old mechanism,buried the loops,& restored the road surface.

In Southampton,UK,they cut a slot in the road,inserted the loop & filled the slot with bitumen.
They left the old sensors in place.

After some time,they tore,so there was a length of tubing flopping around on the roadway.

Of course,they then had to go back & remove the old sensors---still left the "scar",though!!
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #22 on: October 13, 2015, 11:14:29 am »
Dave, I don't think you appreciate the amazing hassle of rolling out fiber to the kerb.

I do. I'm complaining about the governments almost total lack of focus in rolling it out to business parks.
Not to mention buildings like mine that already have fibre going to them from several vendors who are NBN providers. I don't know how that works logistically and infrastructure wise, but fibre is fibre.
 

Online madires

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #23 on: October 13, 2015, 12:25:28 pm »
I was just reading a couple of newspaper articles where in some rural areas the fibre optic cable that was being laid as part of the NBN roll out was being destroyed by rats chewing through it, apparently they have now remedied the situation.

Obviously they have used the wrong cable. Next time buy one with rodent protection. Yes, it's a little bit more expensive.
 

Online madires

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Re: eevBLAB #16 - The Australian NBN SUCKS
« Reply #24 on: October 13, 2015, 12:40:34 pm »
I do. I'm complaining about the governments almost total lack of focus in rolling it out to business parks.
Not to mention buildings like mine that already have fibre going to them from several vendors who are NBN providers. I don't know how that works logistically and infrastructure wise, but fibre is fibre.

I wouldn't have expected anything else. If the NBN would be also intended for businesses you would have the government in the left corner and all telcos/ISPs in the right one  :popcorn: Business parks/streets/districts are the primary focus of telcos. They can't make much money with some residents.

I don't know how much a metro LAN connection costs in Sidney, but if it's much less than a business 100Mbit/s internet access you could look for a place which got NBN and metro LAN ;)
 


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