NBN Survey: FttP is the best option in the long term
- 28 August, 2009 07:12
- Comments 2
There is no better alternative to a fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) network in the long term for the National Broadband Network (NBN) according to seven of the country’s top ICT analysts.
As part of an ARN survey covering five areas – the economic and social benefits against cost; alternatives to a fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) network; status of existing networks; the NBNco arrangements; and the public discourse on the NBN – the analysts agreed FttP was the best choice.
(The analysts’ responses will be detailed in a series of articles over the next few days. See yesterday’s article on benefits versus cost here.)
Other faster to build and cheaper options, such as wireless networks, were mentioned as alternatives by two of the analysts. However, in both cases – Layer 10 founder and telco analyst, Paul Brooks and Market Clarity CEO, Shara Evans – they concluded a FttP network was the better option.
“There are a number of alternative technologies which could be used to deliver 100 Mbps symmetrical customer connections,” Evans said in her response. “However, the greatest argument in favour of fibre is that the optical fibres themselves are capable of almost limitless expansion over time. The same fibre that carriers 100 Mbps today can already carry many gigabits per second with the appropriate equipment attached; and the terabit world is already becoming a reality deep within carrier networks.
“It is true that wireless technologies haven't yet reached their limit of capacity, but the fastest fibre service will remain faster than the fastest wireless service (at least with our current understanding of physics!).”
Ovum principal consultant, Leith Campbell, Frost & Sullivan ICT practice senior research manager, Phil Harpur, Gartner enterprise communications applications research vice-president, Geoff Johnson, and IDC telecommunications program manager, David Cannon, also all agreed that from a technology perspective the FttP decision taken by the Federal Government over its original fibre-to-the-node (FttN) plan was the right one.
“The main issue in terms of cost will be timing,” IDC’s Cannon said. “Fibre technology is evolving rapidly and in three years the cost to deploy the last mile component of the NBN will be much cheaper and easier than it is today. With the right back haul infrastructure in place, copper based technology will easily suffice for the next 5 years but ultimately, fibre is the right decision.”
Buddecomm analyst, Paul Budde, said to date nobody in the world had come up with a better technology.
“The only debate is timing when do you want to do this.,” he said in his response. “We don’t need it now, but it will take 10 years to build and there is no doubt that by that time we do need it. If we wait till we have 100 per cent proof that we need it, it will then still take 10 years to build. Can we, as a country afford to wait?”
Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.
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Comments
Neil McAliece
In a lot of ways we do "need it now"
I'm a bit puzzled by the comments that "we don't need it now" and that copper would be fine for the next five years or so.
This is ignoring the business use of networks that need higher upload than is available now particularly in regional areas.
Sometimes you can get SHDSL in some places.... often the cost is too high though.
eg I was talking to people like Sun Microsystems about the use of their thin terminals in medical environments. The big attraction is that authenticating with a smart card almost instantly has your desktop and applications follow you from one terminal to the next.
I have access to servers in a data centre where I can properly manage the software with good power and data redundancy and can serve software out to regional and remote locations in a short period of time. (Cisco have routers with 3g fail over available now making this sort of thing an easier choice)
but....... Example of one site that had 14 machines, but only 1mbps upload available.... Sun said, no it probably won't work well. They're near an exchange and can get 16-18mbps download on Telstra infrastructure but that just doesn't help due to the low upload speed.
Even 10/10mbps would make a lot of projects possible that just can't be done right now.
Ordinary Net User
NBN Now!
We need to build the backbone of the NBN as fast as possible!
Failure to do so will be a economic disaster for Australia.
Your article says we will definitely need it in 10 yrs time. Talk about an understatement!
If the bulk of NBN it is not completed in 3 years time internet in this country will grind to a halt.
Australia also needs to invest in extra international pipes as part of the NBN because that is a major component of cost borne by us all.
I'm hoping that Pipe live up to their promises and place a bit of competitive pressure on existing international pipe operators with their new Guam link.
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