Thodey: Telstra has sold 10,000 T-Hubs

Thodey comments on NBN, HFC, Next G and 4G.

Telstra has revealed that it has sold 10,000 T-Hubs within the first four weeks of the product's launch.

The T-Hub is the carrier's attempt at a fixed touchscreen internet device for Australian kitchens and loungerooms.

The carrier hopes the device, developed by Sagem, will arrest some a decline in fixed-line revenue by offering a "fourth screen" with always-on internet in the home, away from the PC.

Launched in mid-April, the device will compete to some degree with Wi-Fi enabled iPads, which Telstra has also lined up to sell.

Speaking today at the Trans-Tasman Business Circle lunch in Sydney, Telstra CEO David Thodey said that the T-Hub was "itself, not a great technology, it's [just] a tablet for the home," he said.

But he believes the simplicity of the device - which allows users to surf the web, make calls, play audio and video, bank online and import contacts from their mobile phone - would represent a "fundamental change in the way people use technology" which is "an area Australia can lead in".

In a wide ranging speech, Thodey said Telstra is in the midst of "making a lot of changes" to the business. 

"Telstra is committing to change - more marketing, sales and customer focus. [We are] taking this technology and making it more usable for our customers."

During his presentation, Thodey also revealed that:

• Telstra will "probably roll out IPTV within the next month". 
• The NBN Implementation Study was "written for the Government", contained little suprises for Telstra negotiators and is "based on a series of assumptions". 
• Telstra is concerned about the recommendations in the NBN Implementation Study around penalties for overbuild. "We would like to explore that further - the question of overbuild and competitive market," he said. 
• "Take up has not been that strong" on HFC network upgrades in Sydney and Melbourne. "People are saying, what do we use this for?" Thodey said. 
• The amount of traffic on the Next G network doubles every nine months. "Anyone out there would die for a buisness like that," he said. 
• Today 80 percent of all total Telstra traffic is video. "It is very, very consuming in terms of bandwidth," he said. 
• The company intends to bring high definition video content to the mobile phone over future 4G networks. 
• Greater private sector investment needs to be encouraged in the telecommunications and internet industries. "When I hear people say the Internet is free, I look at them sideways," he said. "It takes a lot of investment."