Published on the 22/03/2016 | Written by Newsdesk
Respected telecoms analyst Paul Budde has lauded the leak of documents which he said ‘reveal interesting twists and turns regarding the development of the NBN’…
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in early March that NBN Co. has trialed a local fibre network which could extend high speed connectivity across Australia at a lower price. The Fibre to the Distribution Point (FTTdp) system uses thinner optical fibres combined with flexible joints and other improvements and will bypass the ageing Telstra copper wire network from the node to the home.
In a recent blog, Budde had this to say: “I applaud these leaks as in the end it is the engineers at the NBN company that will have to take some responsibility for the end product that they deliver…and they know that the MtM [multi technology mix] solution was the politicians’ choice, not theirs.”
The MtM solution has Fibre To The Node (FTTN – the node being a streetside cabinet) with existing copper and hybrid coaxial fibre connections handling the ‘last mile’.
Budde noted that “engineers have a responsibility to separate the politically motivated concoctions from the real technical issues. I see the leaks as being a result of that process and I predict that this could be the start of the delivery of much better fibre solutions – solutions that will benefit everyone in Australia.”
The rapid march of progress in the industry best espoused by Moore’s Law means the cost of technology, including connectivity, tends to decrease steeply over time. “Thanks to new technologies and more efficient construction methods we now see FTTH [Fibre to the Home – considered a ‘future proof, but expensive, solution] prices dropping to around US$1400-$1700 in other parts of the world,” wrote Budde.
However, he pointed out that Australia has high labour costs, while complex contracts further drive prices up.
The leaked documents show that NBN Co has, after its own extensive testing to some 4,300 homes, “brought fibre network prices down to far more acceptable levels, thanks to the new FTTdp technologies. Not quite FTTH, but at a capacity 50 to 100 times better than the average FTTN technology, this technology offers enough for a modern diversified economy that we, as a nation, are building,” Budde added.
