Election 2013: Broadband Election 2013: Broadband

Of all the election issues watched by the tech sector, the national broadband network has enlivened the most debate.

The Coalition released its broadband policy ahead of many of its other policies, promising to deliver a fibre-to-the-node network for 25 percent less than Labor’s $44.1 billion fibre-to-the-home network.

Here’s how the policies stack up:

Labor

  • $44.1 billion fibre to the home network (to be delivered by June 2021), with 97 percent fibre coverage and the remainder a mix of satellite and fixed wireless.
  • Network to deliver download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of 400 Mbps, depending on the plan purchased.
  • Wholesale pricing structure fixed, with NBN Co remaining the monopoly provider.
  • Wholesale price capped at $24 per month for 12 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload speed, frozen for five years, and subsequent increases limited to less than the price of inflation.

    • Coalition

  • $29.5 billion mostly fibre-to-the-node premises (to be delivered by June 2015), with 71 percent FTTN and 22 percent FTTP on greenfields sites, and the remainder a mix of satellite and fixed wireless.
  • Network to deliver download speeds of up to 50 Mbps for the FTTN connections and 1 Gbps for FTTP connections. Upload speeds for FTTN connections of up to 10 Mbps and 400 Mbps for FTTP connections.
  • Wholesale pricing structure capped by the ACCC, with competing broadband access networks allowed.
  • Wholesale price forecast to be $38 per month in 2021, with a user pays policy for those wishing to connect the ‘last mile’ to their home with fibre.

    • Greens

  • Support Labor’s NBN policy.
  • Amended policy to ensure any future moves to privatise the NBN would be subject to a review to protect the public interest, requiring the approval of Parliament.

    • NBN $43 billion cost has lots of padding

    NBN $43 billion cost has lots of padding

    Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has revealed the actual cost of the NBN is expected to be “significantly lower” than $43 billion, especially if industry players like Telstra trade their infrastructure for equity.
    Staff Writers May 19 2009 5:30PM Telco/ISP
    Minchin rebuked by Expert Panel 'whistleblowers'

    Minchin rebuked by Expert Panel 'whistleblowers'

    Opposition Senator Nick Minchin has dubbed members of the NBN Expert Panel 'whistleblowers', quoting controversial comments the panelists have made in public forums.
    Brett Winterford , Ben Grubb May 19 2009 5:30PM Telco/ISP
    Rudd to spend $16m training NBN engineers

    Rudd to spend $16m training NBN engineers

    The Rudd Government has announced it will invest $16.15 million in a training facility for networking engineering students at the Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE (GippsTAFE).
    Jenny Eagle May 19 2009 3:37PM Networking
    Optus calls for Telstra split by 2010

    Optus calls for Telstra split by 2010

    Optus has made a submission to the Federal Government's review of telecommunications regulation calling for Telstra to be structurally separated by 2010.
    Brett Winterford May 19 2009 3:09PM Telco/ISP
    Alcatel-Lucent appoints its own NBN voice

    Alcatel-Lucent appoints its own NBN voice

    Telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent has promoted its former head of access network activity, John Turner, to lead an internal ‘NBN taskforce’.
    Ry Crozier May 18 2009 2:37PM Telco/ISP
    Minchin tries FOI to access NBN Expert Panel report

    Minchin tries FOI to access NBN Expert Panel report

    Opposition Senator Nick Minchin has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request in an attempt to expose to the public both the Expert Panel report and accompanying ACCC report into the failed National Broadband Network tender.
    Brett Winterford May 18 2009 1:27PM Telco/ISP
    AusCERT09: Security will make or break NBN potential

    AusCERT09: Security will make or break NBN potential

    E-security is high on the Federal Government's agenda as it prepares for the country's digital future, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said at the region's largest security conference in the Gold Coast this morning.
    Negar Salek in the Gold Coast May 18 2009 11:52AM Security
    Farmers: dig your own trench for NBN access

    Farmers: dig your own trench for NBN access

    Telecommunications analysts say there may be one way to ensure regional Australians can connect to the fibre network that underlies the NBN - by digging their own trenches.
    Brett Winterford May 15 2009 3:08PM Telco/ISP
    Minchin passes motion to block NBN debate

    Minchin passes motion to block NBN debate

    Shadow communications minister Nick Minchin gave Senator Conroy until 6:50pm yesterday to make public the NBN Panel of Experts report and an associated report by the ACCC.
    Brett Winterford May 13 2009 4:42PM Telco/ISP
    Analysis: Industry groups jostle for NBN influence

    Analysis: Industry groups jostle for NBN influence

    Australia's ICT industry groups all want to claim credit for the NBN and play a strategic role in its development. But who has sway over the industry or Government?
    Brett Winterford May 13 2009 6:01AM Telco/ISP
    CeBIT09: Skellern calls for industry cohesion around NBN

    CeBIT09: Skellern calls for industry cohesion around NBN

    NICTA chief executive Dr David Skellern has called on the ICT sector to form a united voice as multiple splintered industry groups jostle for a position of influence on the Federal Government's proposed National Broadband Network (NBN).
    Brett Winterford May 13 2009 5:56AM Telco/ISP
    Swan's ‘B+’ 2009/10 Federal Budget at a glance

    Swan's ‘B+’ 2009/10 Federal Budget at a glance

    Budget 2009-10 has revealed scant direct ICT stimulus measures apart from the NBN but a number of indirect opportunities around innovation, prompting the AIIA to rate it a ‘B+’.
    Ry Crozier May 13 2009 12:01AM Financial Services
    CeBIT09: Axia NetMedia ‘toying’ with NBN re-entry

    CeBIT09: Axia NetMedia ‘toying’ with NBN re-entry

    One of the bidders from the collapsed NBN RFP, Axia NetMedia, is said to be examining its options for participation in the “new new NBN”, after attending a de-brief on the RFP process last week.
    Ry Crozier May 12 2009 11:26AM Telco/ISP
    CeBIT09: Telstra still a regulatory threat, say iiNet and Optus

    CeBIT09: Telstra still a regulatory threat, say iiNet and Optus

    iiNet chief Michael Malone has urged Senator Conroy not to put the development of a telecommunications policy framework on the backburner following the change of leadership at Telstra.
    Ry Crozier May 12 2009 11:08AM Telco/ISP
    CeBIT09: NSW Government wants to build NBN testbeds

    CeBIT09: NSW Government wants to build NBN testbeds

    The NSW Government has established a broadband implementation taskforce in a bid to secure the NBN company headquarters in Sydney.
    Ry Crozier May 12 2009 9:38AM Telco/ISP
    NBN Expert Panel united on Ruddstra, not "weird" RFP

    NBN Expert Panel united on Ruddstra, not "weird" RFP

    Professor Reginald Coutts says the Government's U-turn on the National Broadband Network is very much in the spirit of the recommendations the expert panel made in its report.
    Ben Grubb May 6 2009 6:28AM Telco/ISP
    Yankee Group primes for NBN advisory role

    Yankee Group primes for NBN advisory role

    The Yankee Group will make a play to become advisers to the National Broadband Network by establishing a presence in Australia.
    Ry Crozier May 5 2009 2:28PM Telco/ISP
    Netbooks, cloud to be winners this year: IDC

    Netbooks, cloud to be winners this year: IDC

    Gazing into its crystal ball, analyst International Data Corporation predicts "pockets of opportunity" for the IT industry in an otherwise gloomy outlook this year.
    Nate Cochrane May 5 2009 2:18PM Hardware
    NBN: Conroy gets his "geek hat" on

    NBN: Conroy gets his "geek hat" on

    Senator Stephen Conroy says new splitter technology could push the reach of the FTTP component of the National Broadband Network far beyond the promised target of 90 per cent of the Australian population.
    Brett Winterford Apr 28 2009 2:39PM Telco/ISP
    iPrimus dances with Telstra on ADSL2+

    iPrimus dances with Telstra on ADSL2+

    ISP iPrimus has all but given up on building new DSLAMs in the wake of the NBN announcement, opting instead to quadruple its coverage area for ADSL2+ via a resale deal with Telstra.
    Brett Winterford Apr 24 2009 10:45AM Telco/ISP

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