Prev
Next

Treating Aussie internet users like a bunch of dodos

Lyall Mercer

by Lyall Mercer

14 Apr 05:55am

Must Reads

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it - this is a caption

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it

180

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment - this is a caption

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment

27

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest - this is a caption

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest

3

Filed under: Broadband, Communications, Internet, Stephen Conroy

67 comments

Attention Senator Conroy: Forget about filtering the internet. Instead please pour your energy, time and (our) money into providing Australia with an internet – and a phone system for that matter – that works, is accessible and affordable.

The internet explained. Illustration: Peter Nicholson, The Australian.

Many Australians are likely oblivious to the communications dark ages in which we live. In the USA I can connect my home or office to a variety of internet providers, all offering great, low-priced deals. In Australia I am given a choice of a couple of providers with a few extra resellers offering outrageous prices and slow service.

In the USA almost all internet plans provide unlimited downloads and usage. In Australia I am offered plans limiting the hours I can spend on the internet; if I exceed this I am hit with exorbitant hourly rates or a slower internet.

In the USA I can choose a cell (mobile) phone from a myriad of companies and obtain good reception most of the time. Drop outs are rare. In Australia I have to go into my bedroom and sit in a certain place with my left leg elevated at a particular angle to get any reception and even then my phone regularly drops out.

In the USA I can wander into any Starbucks and most other cafes and get free wi-fi. Furthermore, wall to wall power outlets are provided so I can spend as much time as I need doing my work and sipping my lattes. I can also get free wi-fi at shopping centres, hotels and even some airports. Those larger airports that charge are still not expensive – it costs about $6 for the day. I can even access the internet – albeit again for a nominal charge - on domestic flights!

In Australia I am flat out finding a cafe or coffee shop that even provides wi-fi and the few that do almost always charge. McDonalds have finally started to offer their customers free wi-fi but their brochures state that “power is not provided”. Some McDonalds stores have signs banning customers from connecting to power outlets.

I’m not a “techie” – I still text using complete words - yet I remain in techno-shock after arriving back in Australia a year ago following almost 7 years abroad. While I immediately fell in love with my new iPhone I found that my network dropped out quite often and that I can’t use the phone throughout my own house without the continual “hello…hello….can you hear me now?”

Yet my phone problems were relatively minor compared to my quest for a home internet service. I had assumed that connecting a fast broadband service would be a simple procedure only to be told that there were no lines available at the exchange. This fact alone should alert Senator Conroy and everyone else in Canberra that we have serious problems with our communications infrastructure. That in the year 2010 we cannot connect a phone line to a home in a suburb of one of our major cities is a testimony to years of government apathy.

It got worse. Other internet providers told me that while they could find an exchange line (allocated to another network), our home phone line was “paired” and could not handle a broadband service. They explained that when the phone line was originally being installed, it was shared with another home to save money. The only option was to pay $300 for a new line but they still couldn’t guarantee a line at the exchange until this new line was installed!

So I turned to wireless broadband however upon instillation found that it was so slow I could cook dinner between refreshing pages. I called the provider who told me I was in their “black spot’, though could not explain why this – rather important (to me at least) - point was not revealed when I ordered the service. With my options for internet service all but gone, I was forced to take wireless broadband with another – naturally the most expensive – provider.

Being now the proud owner of the highest price internet plan I could find for the lowest service quality available – plus a mobile phone that only works in the bedroom - I find myself regularly setting up office at my local McDonalds where I consume countless toasted sandwiches and flat whites and wait for the battery life on my computer to expire (remember they don’t include power).

I live in a modern, mid priced suburb, 25 minutes from the city centre of Brisbane and therefore wonder what my communications options would be if I lived in rural Australia, far from exchanges and internet technicians. I may be starting to understand just why those that live outside our cities react with such cynicism each time governments announce big plans to revolutionise our communications industry.

We live in one of the world’s great nations – with one of the western world’s most backward technology. Senator Conroy, Mr Rudd - I don’t want my internet filtered. I want an internet that is affordable, accessible and effective. A phone that I can use anywhere without dropping out would also be nice. Please just bring us into the 21st century and we’ll be happy

Don’t miss: Get The Punch in your inbox every day

Get The Punch on Facebook

Most commented

431Australia, you have nothing to fear but fear itself
390There's no one Thomson won't burn to save his skin
336Animal experiments won't cure me from cancer
313Thomson didn't answer the question everyone is asking
266Who murdered the Arts degree?
231Craig Thomson speaks. Meanwhile, in Australia...
231South Australia. It's the middle bottom bit.
223The world puzzles over Australia's Prime Minister

67 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Paul says:

      07:24am | 14/04/10

      In rural areas these problems are much worse including phone services and signals. Which makes running a business harder and more difficult than it should be. Our net goes down nearly everytime it rains. And News Ltd seems to busy with it’s own agenda to take these clowns to task over long term, basic tech failures. Howard completely botched it. And now Senator Conroy isn’t listening and nor is Abbott.

      Reply

    • John A Neve says:

      08:04am | 14/04/10

      Paul & Jase,

      The fact is Telstra should never have been sold.  They were not the best provider in the world, but they were national and controlled by the state. Pressure needed to be put on them to lift their game. Sure that is what governments are for?

      A private network will never meet the needs to all the people equally, private companies are about making money and they are not interested in those that live beyond the Black Stump.

      The only real answer is for government to retake Telstra and make it work.

    • Mum says:

      08:04am | 14/04/10

      Paul you are a typical Labor blogger trying to muddy the waters by dragging Howard and Abbott into it. Filtering is Conroy’s proposal.

      USA development was based on private sector initiatives and had nothing to do with government. Market forces in USA are much different than in Australia due to population size and the USA hegemony in the world’s trade scene. Don’t let these things bother you though Paul. Just keep up your obscene Labor propaganda.

    • Bertrand says:

      09:35am | 14/04/10

      Dear John,

      “The fact is Telstra should never have been sold.  They were not the best provider in the world, but they were national and controlled by the state. Pressure needed to be put on them to lift their game. “

      All the providers in the US are cheap, and all are private. Dumbass

    • John A Neve says:

      10:41am | 14/04/10

      Bertram,

      While it is many years since I was in America, I think they have/had one of the worst telecommunication systems I’ve used.

      As to cost; even some one with your obvious limited abilities should understand, cost shared by 200 million people would be less than the cost shared by 22 million!!!!!  What was it you called me our were you looking in a mirror?

    • Shifter says:

      12:36pm | 14/04/10

      Bertrand,

      Population density is much greater in the US than Australia but the land mass is nearly the same size. Hence the infrastructure cost is almost equal but as John says we have about 10% of the population.

      The other thing driving costs up for internet is that most content is hosted overseas, which means that Australia is more reliant on international transit bandwidth than the US or Japan. The cost for bandwidth on these undersea cables hugely outprices the cost for land based bandwidth which then filters down to make our internet much more expensive.

      ISPs have tried to counter the costs for this by introducing download/upload allowances which forces consumers to be more frugal with their international bandwidth use.

      So two things the gov’t could better spend their $128.8 million on are underseas cables for more international bandwidth, and local network infrastructure (NBN).

    • Paul2 says:

      03:07pm | 14/04/10

      Thanks Bertrand for livening up the thread with a gratuitous and unnecessary piece of abuse, all in the service of disagreeing with an opinion

      Dumbass

    • Seano says:

      08:11pm | 14/04/10

      “Mum” - I like the way you ignored what the bloke actually said whilst trotting out this gem of mindless right wing bile “Just keep up your obscene Labor propaganda”.

      Paul got it right, Howard selling of Telstra left us with a subpar service which we we cannot do about it because we don’t own it anymore. All Rudd and Conroy have come up with is a plan that will cause more problems but not to actually fix anything.

      But you keep ignoring what people actually said if that makes you feel empowered.

    • Harquebus says:

      01:24pm | 15/04/10

      Correct. Privatizing Telstra was the biggest mistake ever made by any Australian government. Also, Comrade Conjob is not listening but, his colleagues are, quietly.

    • Jase says:

      07:43am | 14/04/10

      It is definitely frustrating to feel that, because you have decided to live in a rural area, you are almost punished by having very little choice in terms of internet providers and speeds, as well as mobile phone coverage (next g? Hmmm).

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      07:33am | 14/04/10

      Hey Lyall, wit for the filter to hit, then your in for a real treat.

      Reply

    • TrueOz says:

      08:01am | 14/04/10

      I live within the confines of the Brisbane City Council area - which could hardly be described as rural. I cannot get ADSL or cable, leaving me with wireless broadband as the only alternative. Let me assure you that according to Telstra technical support, everywhere in Australia that I go is a “black spot”. Optus and Vodafone wireless connections are even worse (I’ve used both). We don’t need a $40 billion NBN - what we need is real competition - something that would require the moronic Stephen Conroy and his mentally challenged cohorts to simply get out of the way. Yeah! Like that’s gonna happen!

      Reply

    • Unsatisfied Customer says:

      08:29am | 14/04/10

      Just at a guess Lyall I’d say you were with Optus first and then Telstra second. I suppose you may not be able to cofirm that one. But your situation is almost identical to the one I’m in except that I also had the dubious pleasure of beig lied to by the person who signed me up to Optus, both directly and by omission, just so he could make a sale that never should have happened. I’d love to take my business elsewhere but since I live in a “regional” area (despite it being a major port) I am limited to the big two. Hooray for technology, we may as well still be sending smoke signals for all it’s worth sometimes.

      Reply

    • Timbo says:

      08:38am | 14/04/10

      great article - highlighting the massive failings of our comms system vs the rest of the western world. Its a pity the people that matter won’t see it, and if they did, they’d probably not believe it.

      We have a massive amount of land with a relatively small number of people on it with wide spaces between them, so I think the costs of getting a proper service to 100% of everyone is probably significantly different to places like America, but if Australia Post can get the snail mail to them, then the Gov should be able to get the ‘net there too.

      But thats too hard - its easier to filter the ‘net to the point where noone wants it and thats the problem solved.

      *sigh* why do we have a Government again? I reckon we should all give preferences to the Three Day Weekend Party in the next election - they couldn’t do any worse

      Reply

    • Craig Lambie says:

      08:40am | 14/04/10

      Lyall,
      I think you must of missed school or something when you where young.
      The USA has > 300 MILLION PEOPLE! Australia has < 23 Million.

      It is not the governments fault that your phone line doesn’t work in your house, it is due to you living in a over or under subscribed neighbourhood where the internet /mobile usage is to high/low to warrant installing another tower.
      It is purely MARKET driven…. Conroy (the moron he is) or Abbot or anyone cannot “make” the carriers install towers, high demand can!
      Hey Rudd is saying 36 M by 2050, maybe when there is that many people the service will be ok, not sure if this makes it ok by me…. but hey.

      I have to ask…. sounds like you where in New York, or one of the other cities with a population twice that of a typical Aussie city…. do you think Casper, Wyoming has a similar amount of coverage?
      Well I wouldn’t know as I have never been there, have you? Anyone else?

      Basically, unless you want to live in somewhere with a high density population, you have to be happy with high prices for coverage (eg. Next G) as there is not enough demand to warrant competition.  In fact in some places you are lucky to get coverage at all, and you have the Govt to thank for that.  If you are willing to pay, you can get GR8 coverage, anywhere in rural, regional or metro Aussie!
      Even high population doesn’t always mean good internet.  I lived in London and their ADSL2 speeds are terrible, cable is not much better.  Probably something to do with the unlimited download plans they have.
      I love the fact that my internet here in Melbourne works!! I get great download speeds… I can watch iView at full HD quality, or download a 700MB file in around 1 hr, yes I pay a bit more for the privilege than in the US or UK, but I also earn a lot more than the average wage earner in the US/UK, so the “real” price is about the same. (in fact less I would say)

      Thanks to demand for internet we recently had a new cable installed to the rest of the world (where the internet servers mostly are) via Guam and my internet price went down and allowance went up!!  So I think you are barking up the wrong tree Lyall!

      Reply

    • salec says:

      10:55am | 14/04/10

      Actually I was just in a town in Arizona that has 40 000 people and the internet was fast and cheap (around $25 - $30 a month), unlimited, with a wide variety of choices (cable, adsl2, etc). So it’s not just about the size of the population.

    • TB says:

      12:17pm | 14/04/10

      “Even high population doesn’t always mean good internet.  I lived in London and their ADSL2 speeds are terrible, cable is not much better.  Probably something to do with the unlimited download plans they have.”

      I’m willing to wager it had more to do with when you were in the UK. Until fairly recently, the UK had a similar telco market to Australia, i.e. a state-owned incumbent had been privatised without structural separation, creating an anti-competitive monster that strangled the market. When the Howard government privatised Telstra they flat-out ignored the mistakes the Thatcher government made when they privatised British Telecom, a mistake that went unaddressed for two decades. And now moves to split up Telstra are being opposed by a massive legion of whinging shareholders who didn’t have the sense to get out while they were still ahead, and are now clinging on for dear life rather that simply taking the loss on the chin.

      “...or download a 700MB file in around 1 hr…”

      I can tell you’re not technically inclined, and in fact have pathetically low standards when it comes to your expectations of service. Over the years I’ve noticed an increase in the spinelessness of Australian consumers, and this is the result. Instead of demanding better, many of us accept mediocre or sub-standard.

      As for the lack of unlimited download plans, the solution is rather simple - we *desperately* need to upgrade our submarine cable capacity. PPC-1 was a good start, but if we want to join the unlimited club (i.e. the rest of the developed world), we need *much* more overseas bandwidth - this will be the key to the success of the NBN. Unfortunately, our minister for censorship has been a little busy lately…

    • Adam Diver says:

      12:29pm | 14/04/10

      Im fairly sure that Brisbane is a sufficiently large enough city for market forces to drive real competition.

      If market forces don’t provide the end product a population can reasonably expect than who can step in. Who has the power as the collective will of the community to make a difference. Can’t think of what society does in these instances if only there was an organisation that took portions of our money to pay for public goods.

    • Shifter says:

      12:56pm | 14/04/10

      @salec - It is about the size of the population actually.The density of people in places like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City etc. subsidises the infrastructure costs for regional centres in Bumf***, Idaho.

      Compare that to WA, where the 40,000 person town (Kalgoorlie) is 600km+ away from it’s two nearest cities, both with populations lower than 2 million people.

      Combine that with the majority of the content you’re accessing not being overseas, it makes for fast, generous, and cheap internet.

    • Brando says:

      01:45pm | 14/04/10

      Craig Lambie says: I get great download speeds… I can watch iView at full HD quality, or download a 700MB file in around 1 hr,

      You think that’s a good speed? On my ADSL2 line I can download a 700mb file in less than15 minutes. Thank god I have unlimited downloads.

    • Who? says:

      08:24pm | 17/04/10

      Craig, you don’t know what you’re talking about.  I just left a suburb that’s, well, maybe 40 minutes from the centre of Brisbane (Springfield Lakes - by the descriptions Lyall’s given, I’m guessing he’s in another ‘Lakes’ suburb, but on the North side).  It’s brand new.  Still being built.  And the stories there are pretty well identical to Lyall’s.  The section of the suburb that I lived in has grown from 6,000 people to 11,000 people in 4 years.  In that suburb, the infrastructure provider installed ‘RIMs’, which are basically older versions of the things that Rudd wanted to install in his ‘Fibre To The Node’ scheme.  However, older RIMs only provide enough capacity for a maximum of 50% of homes to DSL services.  Only newer versions are DSL2 capable, but, even if it’s DSL2 capable, it’s only available through the major infrastructure provider, meaning you won’t get it as cheap as buying it direct from TPG/iiNet/etc.  You can see the difference in prices by looking at Internode’s plans - it’s quite significant.

      Back to the point, this is a brand new suburb with a maximum of 50% coverage for DSL1, and practically 0% DSL2+.  This has caused the mobile networks to become completely congested, as it’s the best known alternative.  At 6pm, many nights you couldn’t dial out on your mobile.  Thankfully for me, two small scale wireless providers stepped in and supplied non-3G wireless data.  The service wasn’t DSL2+, it wasn’t cheap (though cheaper than what Lyall’s paying), and it wasn’t fast, but it was serviceable.  Would I have dropped them for DSL1?  In a heartbeat!

      The problem in places like this - and they are becoming incredibly common, both in new estates and established areas - is that these RIMs are worth $150k.  And the Infrastructure Owner is convinced that replacing the equipment would provide ‘10-15 new customers’ per RIM.  That’s 10-15 on RIMs serving 200-350 premises.  Now, given the massive congestion on the wireless networks, the profitability of small, independant wireless providers (WISPs), and the anger found in many communities and online (go look at the Whirlpool forums, search for ‘RIM’), the suggestion that only an extra 5% of fixed phone customers would be picked up out of a possible 50+%  looks ludicrous.

      The problem isn’t a lack of demand, or a lack of competition.  The exchange my RIM was connected to was filled with competitor infrastructure (Node, iiNet, Optus, TPG), but the access was blocked by the RIM.  The problem ist that it’s a locked market, where one company dominates infrastructure, but doesn’t care about customer service.  Before privatisation, Telstra served its customers.  Sure, it was a fraction dearer to call people, but the service provided to all Australians was better.  Since privatisation, there are profit targets, dividends and CEO salaries to pay.  There is no concern for customer service, or concern for the public good and the national benefit.  I have no problem with retail being private - there is scope for differentiation there.  But Australia doesn’t have the scale to have competition at network level (i.e. have multiple companies running Copper/Fibre/Coax to the premises), so this part of the industry shouldn’t be run by a company that is concerned with increasing profit margins and CEO bonuses.

      Frankie Bingle, we have a very different history in telecommunications to the US.  As you can see from my post above, we had our network built by the government.  We paid for it, it was subsidised by our taxes, and it was a great system.  Some things - like utilities - can be delivered well by the government.  Services where the public good is the primary concern.  It doesn’t make it socialist, it just fills the roll of government - serving its people.

      And I’d be willing to put money on that Lyall’s not with Dodo.  He didn’t say he’s paying peanuts - he said he’s with the most expensive provider.  And he’s wireless.  Which is one of the companies you wouldn’t recommend…  And Wirefree?!  It’s a business service, it’s not easily available to the public, it’s not cheap…  Why should someone living in the ‘burbs have to pay a fortune when they’ve got the same copper that you have?  After all, the dominant infrastructure owner’s making more profit out of Lyall than they are out of you…

      Also, JT - you speculate on $5B profit - Telstra doesn’t make that, but they only control 50% of the market (those who are too lazy to search for better options or are technically forced to use them).  Further, the profit figures don’t have to be so high if you’re not trying to appease shareholders and pay massive salaries to executives whose job it is to maximise profit margins.  It can be an engineering based company, rather than a bureaucracy or a management-driven company.  I know that’s a bit idealistic, but…  There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be done that way (even if Rudd means it’s unlikely to be done that way).

    • Paul says:

      08:44am | 14/04/10

      @mark yeah when the wonky filter (not that it will actually ‘filter’ much) hits, even anti small business caveman Abbott may work out there is some votes in it. The sooner the better.

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      08:34am | 14/04/10

      I’m 5 minutes walk from the Sydney CBD. At the moment, can’t get Internet of any kind because of Pair Gain (unless you count half speed dial-up - which is useless now)! Wireless also tends to be so unstable with drop outs and speed, can’t rely on this as a connection. Haven’t tried NextG yet however, but who would want to for the crazy prices they charge for the service!

      You would think this shouldn’t be a problem anymore, especially when estates have been built in more recent times. Seems like a push to get people on expensive and less costly Wireless plans to me.

      Save money, rip people off and offer crap service. That’s all Telstra do!!

      Reply

    • Brando says:

      09:51am | 14/04/10

      I live on Sydney’s lower north shore. I have unlimited ADSL2 broadband internet access for under $80 per month. I can nearly throw a rock onto the roof of my local telephone exchange from my balcony so I get speeds up to 18mbs on local sites. I can torrent at nearly 3mbs. I can’t see me moving to Kevin Rudd’s new network unless they can do at least a comparable deal pricewise and frankly I don;t see that happening

      I have up to 250 minutes of mobile phone calls to Australian numbers for ten dollars a month and I have brilliant coverage with only extremely rare dropouts.

      I’m very happy with my communications packages but it appears I’m one of the lucky ones.

    • Dr John says:

      08:36am | 14/04/10

      I have had mobile communications since 1989 and the internet for 10 years - thus not a complete dinosaur.
      However, my whinge unlike Lyall Mercer is that I was a lot more peaceful and happier without this garbage.

      Reply

    • DWest says:

      08:44am | 14/04/10

      The geek joke in our town is if 3G (3rd Generation) mobiles are so crap by the 5th generation we should have something resembling 21st century tech. Having travelled through Africa I was astounded at how extensive their mobile networks are compared to our regional areas.  The media (aka Penbo on the weekend) fawning over legendary Telco’s failure stories like Ziggy Twitkowski, doesn’t help city voters to understand how badly the rest of Australia has been let down.

      Reply

    • Craig Lambie says:

      09:08am | 14/04/10

      btw… if you are with Dodo, as your title suggests…. here in lies your problem.
      pay peanuts get monkeys!
      If you want a good internet connection then go with one of the best providers!
      Check on http://whirlpool.net.au/ for ratings and prices and comments about service before you decide on an ISP.  There are plenty out there!
      I use Exetel, and recommend it, iiNet and Internode to anyone! Optus, Telstra, Dodo and most of the others are rubbish!
      WireFree broadband will give you a wireless connection 10x the speed of ADSL or even cable for a fee if your interested. http://www.wirefreebroadband.com.au/

      Reply

    • David-g says:

      12:26am | 15/04/10

      Funny.. I am with DoDo and get 10 to 12 Mb - no problems

    • David says:

      09:03am | 14/04/10

      I used to work for Telstra, helping (mainly business) customers with complex networking. The number of complaints I’ve heard along these lines is simply staggering, and they are justified.

      Did you know that customers at the Gold Coast are considered “Regional” customers and get charged a premium? (never mind the fact that the Gold Coast is the 5th largest Australian city now). And a large range of people on the northern part of the gold coast (e.g. coomera) can’t get broadband at all?

      It’s disgusting, and boils down to sheer corporate greed on Telstra’s part & the Howard government doing sweet FA on Telecomms for years. I’m no fan of the internet filter and will vote against it, but I’m glad Mr Conroy is pushing ahead with the NBN, it is a sorely needed piece of infrastrucutre if Australia is to thrive in the 21st century.

      Reply

    • Matt Dee says:

      09:04am | 14/04/10

      Welcome back to Australia and the joke and con that is our telecommunication system and Fraudband network. You don’t have to live in rural Australia to be treated like second class citizens. I live in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains NSW where we are considered as being part of the greater western Sydney. However Telstra charges timed STD rates for distances of 20km. Whereas if you live in Palm Beach you can call to Campbelltown for the cost of a local call. Successive federal governments are all responsible for allowing Telstra and Optus to rape , pillage and plunder Australian citizens the way it has. My only consolation in this whole government sanctioned fraud, is VOIP. 10 cent un-timed calls anywhere in Australia any time of the day. This saves me twelve to thirteen hundred dollars per year.k

      Reply

    • Scott Glennon says:

      09:39am | 14/04/10

      Unlike a McDonald’s HCT toasted sandwich, Australia’s internet network gets a big FAIL comparable to Lindsay Lohan in heels on the footpath outside her favourite binge drinking venue.

      Depending on where you reside, www could be considered a service only the rich and famous obtain. QLD mining town Emerald gives you the choice of Bigpond or Bigpond, but of course they whack on their outback spectacular surcharge, unless you have mobile, home phone and Foxtel with them. Most are given the choice of ADSL1, Cable (in new estates) satellite and wireless, cable being the fastest and most expensive with the lowest download quotas.
      Download speed became the real problem on all types of access depending on the temperature, network congestion and weather. After discussing this issue with thirteen robots, your told that the big industry commander promises nothing but access to the internet.

      Although your article mentions you don’t want an internet filter, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the effect that implementation of it may have on these delicate rural networks, already burdened by unreliable service and choice of one provider.

      Reply

    • John says:

      10:01am | 14/04/10

      Conroy is spending 43 Billion ! That’s 43 thousand million or approximately $2,150 for every man, woman and child in this country to build a better network and take back the infrastructure from the company who has hamstrung this country for over a decade.  The filter will come, and then it will go. But the super fast network will be here to stay for generations and the monopoly of Telstra will finally be broken.

      People of Australia still have over 6 million telephone services, and many million broadband services paying over the odds prices.  People need to wake up and start talking with their feet. Leave Telstra for good.  Yet most writing comments will still have their home phone connection with Telstra. Wake up, pay slightly more to the competition for a little while and change will happen.  You can’t complain when you still support them.

      Reply

    • Scott Glennon says:

      11:04am | 14/04/10

      @John,

      I think you’ll find that Telstra also makes money from you even when you aren’t with them.
      Recently I changed ISP’s and by mistake was charged a fee contributed to Telstra’s work. Until cables are laid which will be free for all to service, Telstra will rack in money from it’s base code… Copper land lines.

      The false sense of choice that Australians are given when it comes to our communication network is a bit of a joke.

    • Scot says:

      11:14am | 14/04/10

      John, Yes it is all Telstra’s fault. From my perspective it is the Federal Regulator and the Public Service that got it wrong, and they have had it wrong for many years. And Conroy shoudl be doing his job and stop being the Empress Dowager behind the screen setting up a new company and wasting tax payers money. What they should be regulating is an investment environment that impose the same rules on any telecoms company that wants to deliver services in Australia like Telstra. Impose the same UNIVERSAL service obligations on them as well. But know these companies cherry pick and then complain. Fine them if they fail to deliver on time and they are audited regularly on how they meet their QoS. If Conroy wants to know how a regulator works he should talk the regulators in Singapore and Hong Kong. Rudd Labor have it wrong yet again.

    • Wayne Kerr says:

      11:28am | 14/04/10

      John, I would love to walk away from Telstra but unfortunately I live in a 5 square kilometre area just 5 minutes out of Gosford that is unable to get ADSL or Cable.  This means if i want a relatively reliable internet connection I have no choice but to go BigPond Wireless at a ridiculously high monthly price for 10Gb usage up AND down.

      The problem is that the infrastructure is just not there and the respective Governments have not addressed it and the situation is what it is today which is inexcusable for a developed country such as Australia.

    • Simon says:

      03:55pm | 20/04/10

      That’s only partially true.  If you want a phone line, unless you can get naked DSL (most can’t due to poor infrastructure) AFAIK everyone resells line rental from Telstra, i.e. you can’t avoid paying the telstra tax.

      We were stuck in RIM port hell for 2 years, I could’ve given in - Telstra seemed to be aware and kept sending us Wireless broadband advertising, but we live in the Adelaide hills so no doubt it would’ve sucked, but got lucky when a new MINI-MUX (modern version of RIM) was installed near by and more ADSL ports were available in the new hardware.

      The irony is the new mini exchange only got installed because Telstra was so confident they were going to win the NBN tender (I have a friend at Telstra tech support who told me this), they spent bucket loads of money installing the new hardware.

      Obviously I choose another ISP instead of Telstra (Adam) and have had 0 problems since then.  I would drop any dealings Telstra and go with Naked DSL in a heartbeat if given the chance (in a previous home I had ADSL2+ from Internode and it rocked).  I think Telstra know that most people who have any clue feel this way, and that’s why they target luddites in their advertising.  They must also know that the copper gravy train will eventually run out.

      Incidently, the ADSL ports on our new mini exchange were only made available *after* they lost the bid, even though they were installed and wired up (I was grabbing the ADSL availability reports and could see them) they weren’t making them available to other ISPs (again I could’ve got ADSL through BigPuddle but choose not to out of principle)

      There is a reason why Telstra is Australia’s most hated company.

    • Paul says:

      10:14am | 14/04/10

      @mum labor propaganda eh? You need to get out of your ignorant bogan suburb and see the extent of Labor /Liberal (and Nationals) disregard for the bush/regional telco services.

      Reply

    • John Vance says:

      10:30am | 14/04/10

      Remove telstra’s life line. It was investors who thought they would get a special benefit if they controlled the pone lines. They are allready braindead. The technical side of Telstra is great. Its administration has been acting against consumers interests for years. You cant get the public onside by screwing them at all points. (the words are crude but correct) It may shock them, but they should try giving us good service for a change. And stop tricking the public with different plans. The government, in consultation with independent technical advice, should set the plans. There are too many plans, calculated to decieve out there.
      The rpelay was generated due to lack of satisfaction with Telstra. They have me connected, but not for long.

      Reply

    • Faul Kinell says:

      10:26am | 14/04/10

      The Howard gov compromised this countrys ability to have a fast cheap and countrywide telecomunications system when he gave away Telstra into greedy private hands, a monopoly in short, putting this country years back in IT development. Who would put jug ears Abbott back into power?

      Reply

    • Boof says:

      08:46pm | 14/04/10

      Blah, blah, Howard was a bad, bad man. He ate our children. And Abbott, big ears. By the way diddams, Keating started the sales.

    • Frankie Bingle says:

      11:38am | 14/04/10

      Craig Lambie & Faul Kinell….I live in a US town with a population of under 30,000 and I can get cell phone service from any of 10 carriers and it will accommodate the latest i-phones and work across the country. I can get broadband internet from 4 different providers for $40 to $50 per month with speeds that will knock your socks off and no limitations on use. For $5 a month I can make and receive all the IP phone calls I want in the US, Canada and Mexico. For 2 cents per minute I can call anywhere in the world. All the whistles and bells in a 2 bit town because of free enterprise and not government interference, but I imagine that Obama and his socialist cronies will do their best to also mess this up for us. You want a government to provide everything for free, then stop complaining when you get what you pay for.

      Reply

    • Scot says:

      11:26am | 14/04/10

      In Asia, Singapore has 50,000 hot spots. In Hong Kong they have 3000 Hot Spots but is not free and very expensive if you are a visitor as is their prepaid SIMM mobile access also very expensive. In China there are very large numbers of hot spots in major cities and even some very remote areas for internet access and their prepaid mobile access is very cheap. As to internet access in China the quality is excellent and cheap. In Taiwan they have extensive hot spots for WiFi and they are now delivering WiMax as has been Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. So where does this leave us in Australian. We have a regulator that wants to be a provider and not deliver a regulatory environment attractive to investment and competition.

      Reply

    • Kevin11 says:

      11:53am | 14/04/10

      Rudd has a vision for internets where Howard and Abbott don’t. Sure he needs to stop getting puppeted by Family First on filters and up the broadband to worldclass speeds but he is the pick of this election. Even the TAB says so!

      Reply

    • Scot says:

      04:40pm | 14/04/10

      Kevin11, It was not Rudd Labor that started the process of better internet broadband it was Howard who started the process. What selective memory you have. Conroy came in with this ridiculous plan of spending $44B we do not have, and will need to borrow along with the other $300B, to deliver what should be regulated for business to do not government. Rudd Labor and Conroy should run the country and solve all the other mess they have created since coming to power. It is as plain as the nose on your face that neither Rudd Labor or the public service can handle any of this.

    • Kate says:

      01:40pm | 14/04/10

      Yes, but in the US, they censor TV shows on pretty much every channel except HBO. I’d almost rather have slow internet.

      Reply

    • facepalm says:

      04:05pm | 14/04/10

      When it comes to media censorship, Australia is far worse than the US. We’re even becoming worse than the nanny-state ninnies in the UK. ‘nuff said.

    • James says:

      11:24pm | 14/04/10

      No doubt years of references to the ‘FCC’ in the abundance of US-produced film and television we watch has given you this idea. In Australia we have our own censorship committee and that is the ACMA. If you think that they aren’t as tough, go have a look at some examples of investigations launched by the ACMA. A 9 page report about the use of the word ‘Pom’ on the Today breakfast program as being racist. So if our media censorship is seen to be more relaxed than that of the USA, I would be shocked.

    • James says:

      11:26pm | 14/04/10

      No doubt years of references to the ‘FCC’ in the abundance of US-produced film and television we watch has given you this idea. In Australia we have our own censorship committee and that is the ACMA. If you think that they aren’t as tough, go have a look at some examples of investigations launched by the ACMA. A 9 page report about the use of the word ‘Pom’ on the Today breakfast program as being racist. So if our media censorship is seen to be more relaxed than that of the USA, I would be shocked.

    • Mike says:

      02:53pm | 14/04/10

      What none of you people understand is that not only does the US have faster speeds and better costs with internet than Australia.
      The entire world does.

      In Finland, which has only 5 million or so people, everyone is able to connect to the internet, even in the most rural parts in the middle of nowhere. Internet costs less than 60 Australian dollars a month, is completely unlimited with absolute no hidden fees, and no hidden costs or reductions of speed.
      The same can be said for Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, hell, all of Europe except for England, which of course is all you think Europe is.

      Not only does the government need to wake up to the fact that we have the slowest internet in the entire world, that we are behind China in terms of speeds, behind Afghanistan in terms of speeds, and we are the only country in the world that imposes download limits.

      Embrace the future, get a VPN
      Or move and experience true real internet in any other country in the world.

      But oh wait, being Australian you’re blind to the fact that there is actually better countries out there. Considering you’re basically taught in school that Australia is the best and everyone else is not worth it.

      Well look at our technology. Hah.
      Oh god we are so underveloped it is hillarious. God help us all.

      Next comment says “Oh so how are so underdeveloped blah blah im blinded to the world”
      Open your eyes Australia.

      You dont need the government to wake up, you need to get rid of the government, bring in people from Europe and the US to FIX our ENTIRE Media section, and then we’re at speed with the rest of the world.

      Reply

    • isis says:

      03:20pm | 14/04/10

      Australians are used to paying more for less. Our increase in population has only seen prices rise while services decline.

      Reply

    • michellemac says:

      09:15pm | 14/04/10

      I’m hearin’ ya. I moved into our brand new house, 15 kms from Perth CBD and 3 houses down the road from where we were renting. At the old house we had ADSL2 (still slow compared to what we had experienced living overseas) but moving three houses down the road meant we were unable to obtain broadbad. Why? because we are in an ‘infill’ suburb where the telecommunications infrastructure has not kept up with the subvision of old 1/4 acre blocks and higher population density.

      The best explanatation I had, after literally DAYS on the phone being passed from one call centre to another, was that we had a paired line and there weren’t enough ports in the exchange to provide ADSL2+. We could not use another provider (we tried a few including iinet) because they still had to use the Telstra lines and until Telstra did an upgrade. My husband works in IT and we both work from home on occasion, so after a month of no internet at all, we caved and signed up to the top download plan on Wireless Broadband. What a joke, much slower than what we’d already considered slow - and half the download limit and DOUBLE THE PRICE!

      And I am not joking, literally 2 weeks after I’d signed up to a 2 year plan (don’t get me started) I had a call from Telstra sales asking me if I wanted to swtich to ADSL. The poor guy on the end of the phone copped it.

      Reply

    • zappa says:

      09:59pm | 14/04/10

      Good article, very true and I can identify totally.

      It’s worth noting a similar problem exists in Australia with hosting.  I’ve been running a small hosting company in Melbourne since the mid 90’s.  I’ve finally decided to ditch my “Aussie pride” and move our entire operation to the US.  It makes for financial suicide to keep hosting here.

      My current data center charges me $2.50/GB data transfer (in or out).  I’ve looked around and have found as low as $1.60/GB, but nothing beats hosting in the US where it’s 20c/GB out and 6c/GB in.  Even my customers were starting to ask me why I’d host in Australia.

      I’m now saving thousands every month.  Are you listening, Conroy?  That’s lots of lovely cash flowing straight to another country where the infrastructure is better and cheaper.

      I know the US has a higher population and can offer lower prices.  I know Australia is geographically isolated which means higher prices.  The government should have subsidised Internet costs here - but I’ve been very patient and it’s too late now.  I have no choice but to move to a better deal.

      Reply

    • Jason says:

      11:04pm | 14/04/10

      here, here!

      Reply

    • Ben says:

      12:19am | 15/04/10

      Hit the nail on the head Lyall. Instead of spending 42 millions dollars to quash our freedoms with a filter, the Government needs to actually start delivering one of their election promises and I think the NBN would be a great start.

      Reply

    • Proud but sad Aussie says:

      09:10am | 15/04/10

      My recent experience is very similar to yours Lyall. I lived in the US for several years and found the same thing, not only with the cost of internet, but almost everything.

      The argument can be made that because of a lower population we do not benefit from the same economies of scale. From my point of view the bigger problem is the lack of competition which I believe results in gross profiteering by companies such like Telstra, Coles and others.

      As an example, while living in the USA, I purchased tyres for my vehicle, they were a very reputable brand and cost $126 per wheel. For the same tyre over here I would have been charged in excess of $250 per wheel, go figure.

      This country is undoubtedly the greatest on earth but as consumers we are to willing to accept the status quo with respect to which companies we support and pricing policies that we will accept. It is time for us to understand that even Aussie companies will rip us off blind…......and do!

      Reply

    • John A Neve says:

      10:19am | 15/04/10

      Proud but sad Aussie,

      Your comments are only partially correct, it is not only a matter of volume but also a tax issue. Tax on smokes petrol etc, etc are far higher here than America added to which most of our goods are imported.

      A company can prosper in America on 3-5% of the market, here that same conpany would die.

      Australia can only support one telecommunications company if we want
      full national coverage.

    • Proud but sad Aussie says:

      02:07pm | 15/04/10

      John, the big difference in the US is that while there are major telecommunications companies, the do not have full coverage, many remote and regional areas have local independent telecoms that support their region. They are not restricted by the excessively tight regulations that abound in our country.

      You are correct about the tax issue, the level of government intrusion into daily life is much less and as such government costs less to run.

      As for the local manufacture of goods, the US is one of the largest customers of countries such as China, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan etc. The US has abandoned manufacturing as aggressively as we have.

      The issues are much broader than I initially commented, but none the less, are still broadly of our own doing. We as Australians let this happen.

    • Scot says:

      11:02am | 15/04/10

      John Neve, Then please explain how Singapore has three, and HK has three? And not including the mobile operators. People in Australia are being ripped of big time. Rudd Labor and Conroy are so out of touch with other regulators in the region. For Conory to get into the Telecom business is a big negative for other global companies to do business in Australia. easier to go to HK and Singapore. No fuss no bother and cheap.

      Reply

    • John A Neve says:

      12:53pm | 15/04/10

      Scot,

      I am not sure I understand your question, by three I suppose you mean service providers and by HK you mean Hong Kong?

      But here goes; both I suggest have larger populations, a smaler coverage (I’m only guessing), possibly less tax. Salaries are possibly also lower than here, but I must admit to having little knowledge of their setup.

    • Shifter says:

      02:24pm | 15/04/10

      Scot,

      Singapore and Hong Kong have population densities of over 6000 people per square kilometre and total land area of less than 1200 square kilometres.

      In comparison one of Australia’s major cities (never mind the rural areas) has an approximate total land area of 5900 square kilometres with a population density of just over 900 people per square kilometre. That is they have over 5 times more land and it is 6 times more sparsely populated than either Hong Kong or Singapore. Both these regions have more than double the population of Brisbane.

      What does this mean? It costs a hell of a lot more money to create the infrastructure to serve less people. Cities are also more dense than rural areas, meaning the revenue from the city areas subsidises the rural areas costs.

      Companies cannot simply afford to build and operate telecommunications in Australia hence we only have one government created telephone network which all other private companies are piggybacked on in some way shape or form.

      Because that one company is now partially private, it is in that company’s best interests to not allow a level playing field. Hence it changes quite handsomely for access to its network.

      All this adds up to higher telecommunications prices in Australia.

      Does that explain it for you Scot?

    • Scot says:

      09:19am | 16/04/10

      Nerve and Shifter. So they can afford three competing systems with small populations and we cannot with the technology that has been available for years. The erason these countries have three competing networks is because of what the regulator has mandated. What has the regulator and minister done in Australia, he has failed us. He is setting up a competing company against the incumbents These countries have not only rolled out first competing networks, but cable TV, WiFi and WiMax in many cases. Taiwan and Sth. Korea are years ahead of us. I understand Comrade Stokes son is rolling out WiMax in Australia?

    • jt says:

      01:00pm | 15/04/10

      everybody wants .. but nobody wants to pay..
      In broad terms, if one was to spend in the order of 43B (and it may in fact be more.. look at all the other financially mismanaged programmes the labour govt has been involved), they would conservatively expect a profit of around 5 Billion dollars per annum.. This represents more profit than Telstra makes for all its services (mobile, broadband, fixed line,  advertising, foxtel, etc etc).. so can someone explain how any of this make any financial sense at all? Sure, we can have faster broadband, but who will pay for it? I recently drove for an hr in the fringes of Melbourne and I contemplated how expensive it might be to roll out broadband to only one of our major cities, let alone the entire nation.. I think that this NBN thing may infact be the next big white elephant if Conroy cannot misappropriate Telstra’s assests for a fraction of what they are worth.. I am of the opinion that Telstra should call Conroys bluff and once we have a second network rolled out, the monopoly arguement goes out the window and all the regulatory and universal obligation hurdles which currently constrain can no longer be justified.

      Reply

    • Josh says:

      06:32pm | 17/04/10

      Have one thing to say about the US:

      We don’t have to pay to receive phone calls or SMS in Australia on a mobile phone. They do. Epic fail.

      Reply

    • Jason says:

      06:21pm | 17/04/10

      Look whether you believe his comments are politically based or not is irrelevant…. the fact is…. I do live further out in the country….. and the phone reception, is pathetic!!!! I cannot, and will never be able to get ADSL2, and the ADSL I have is ridiculous. Backwards doesn’t even begin to describe our telecommunications infrastructure, and at the end of the day, the exorbitant amount of money that is going to be spent long term on this filter, would be far better spent catching up to the rest of the world. Wetting the string connecting me to the internet is becoming tiresome….

      Reply

    • Fredby says:

      07:34pm | 17/04/10

      I’m an Australian living in Japan and I’m dumbfounded that Australians have to put up with this crap. I get fibre internet for equivalent to $50 with no download limits and no time constraints. In five years I have had the internet connection go down twice for less than 10 minutes at a time. My home phone costs me nothing because it is VOIP. If I don’t access the net on my iPhone it costs me nothing…. if I access the web all the time on my iPhone the most it will cost me each month is $50. Wi-Fi and internet cafes are everywhere. The problem in Australia is that no-one (not governments, nor Telstra) has invested in infrastructure for a very long time and companies are just out to screw everyone on price. People always assume Japan is expensive… when I hear that I just laugh and think of Australia.

      Reply

    • Adrian says:

      09:39pm | 17/04/10

      When I first moved into my current house I was informed by Telstra that there would be a delay of about a week before my phone line would be connected. Since it’s a new house I figured that would be fine and left it at that.

      When the week was up I received a call informing me that, in actual fact, I would have to wait for three months for a contractor to be available to do some work in my street.

      After three months, during which I was offered alternative means of telecommunications by Telstra (which is nice, I suppose), I discovered that the work that needed doing was the movement of a cable from one pole to the next. Literally from one pole to the next. It took the contractor about two hours, during which they were parked across my driveway.

      I live within the region covered by the St. Mary’s telephone exchange. Anyone who has attempted to get access to broadband services in this area knows that it is fundamentally broken as there is a technical issue which Telstra refuses to resolve as it works in their favour. According to an Internode representative this has already been reported to the ACCC. No action thus far.

      My understanding is that electricity, water and a telephone line are all considered essential services these days. Why is it, then, that the telecommunications infrastructure isn’t held up to the same sort of standards as our power and water services?

      Reply
 
Comment

Facebook Recommendations

Read all about it

Punch live

Up to the minute Twitter chatter

Anthony Sharwood

antsharwood 28 May 12 12:01AM

#markwebber just wasted petrol faster than everyone else in monaco #f1

Anthony Sharwood

antsharwood 27 May 12 10:49PM

In my sports column on The Punch tomorrow: why Eurovision was easily the best game on the weekend. Mummy bloggers, you'll like this one!

Daniel Piotrowski

drpiotrowski 27 May 12 10:12PM

The Logies could learn a lot from Eurovision #lamethings#sbseurovision

Daniel Piotrowski

drpiotrowski 27 May 12 10:03PM

RT @ellehardytweets: Already despondent about the next fifty one weeks. #sbseurovision

See all tweets

Recent posts

The latest and greatest

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it

by David Penberthy

180

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it

An email was sent to almost every politician in Australia this week saying that someone should cut off…

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment

by Paul Toohey

27

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment

We admire them, but we’re not entirely sure why. We allow them to operate in the shadows; we rarely…

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest

by Angela Mollard

3

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest

Like a fat full-stop, it lay in my hand. A small orange – not exactly fresh, but purchased anyway…

Nosebleed Section

choice ringside rantings

From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

Michael S says:

"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]

From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone

Change Up! says:

I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]

Light weight

Gentle jabs to the ribs

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more

243 comments

Newsletter

Read all about it

Sign up to the free daily Punch newsletter

Subscribe to The Punch RSS feed