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Brisbane, Australia: “We Need to Deliver It Ourselves”
The Australian government’s plans to develop a national
high-speed network have made little progress to
date. “A year of wasted opportunity, a year of stagnation
and uncertainty,” was an opposition politician’s verdict
on 2008, which ended with the country’s largest communications
provider being disqualified, essentially on a
technicality, from building the network.
But inaction on the national level hasn’t stopped
smaller providers and local governments from proceeding
with their own plans. Brisbane, Australia’s third largest
city, is spending about half a million dollars (US) this
fiscal year toward detailed design of an FTTH network
that would use the city’s existing fiber network as a base.
Here’s Jane Prentice, the Brisbane city councilor who
proposed the plan, explaining the history and purpose
of the proposal:
Recently, when I joined the Lord Mayor on his
trade mission to Korea in August, we observed
the fact that they enjoy fiber speeds of between
100 megabits to 1 gigabit per second – absolutely
amazing, Lord Mayor. This re-emphasized the
benefits that Brisbane would have if we had highspeed
fiber connections. It was from this trade
mission, where we viewed the benefits to local
businesses firsthand, that this project arose.
Since then, we have even had representatives
from ETRI, the company who undertook the rollout
of fiber in Korea, visit Brisbane to assess the
possibility of fiber rollout in Brisbane and the
benefits it could bring. The economic benefits of
connecting Brisbane with high-speed fiber connections
are considerable. Various studies which
have been previously conducted suggest that
businesses can achieve additional cost savings
equivalent to 4.7 percent of business costs by upgrading
from narrowband Internet connection to
a broadband connection.
The implementation of a high-speed network
could boost the Brisbane and Moreton region’s
economy by [$3.5 billion; Australian $5 billion] and
create more than 15,000 jobs over the next five
years. On top of these economic benefits, there
are also the broader benefits to productivity, the
environment, and to the community in general.
Rough estimates show that the Council could potentially
save [more than $60 million; Australian
$95.5 million] a year in the value of time saved by
a high-speed fiber network.
The project also has a number of social benefits.
For example, I assume that even councilors
in this place, the first thing you do when you get
to your office in the morning, as do businessmen
around the city, is turn on your computer and do
your e-mails that have come in overnight. If we had
FTTP… what people could do is do that work from
home and then go to the city in off-peak. Look at
the effects that would have on reducing traffic
congestion around this city in the peak hours.
There are also the obvious environmental benefits.
Imagine high-definition online videoconferencing
enabling you to easily interact with someone,
whether they were a block away or half a
world away. The environmental benefits of saving
on these short- and long-term trips by car or even
airplane would certainly be significant. Overall,
the project would allow residents and businesses
more flexibility, and open up a greater capacity
for innovation.
Of course, the rollout of high-speed fiber connections
is already being considered as part of
the Federal Government’s national broadband
network. However, I have to say I am not confident
that this solution can be delivered in a timeframe
acceptable to Brisbane’s needs, or that with
proposed speeds of just 12 megabits per second,
and indeed, maximum speeds using ADSL2 of 24
megabits per second, that it would be fast enough
for Brisbane’s requirements. Indeed, both the
Lord Mayor and I were concerned that Brisbane
was not at the top of their list for rolling out this
fiber network, and it very much highlighted the
fact that, if we want to achieve this progress, we
need to deliver it ourselves.
Pakistan Telecommunications Ltd. (PTCL), a major
communications provider in Pakistan, announced that it
will be deploying GPON fiber networks in order to cater to
“bandwidth-hungry broadband applications.” Pilot projects
are already being rolled out in the three major cities of Karachi,
Lahore and Islamabad.
Local press reports that CAT Telecom, a state-owned telecommunications
company in Thailand, will deploy an FTTH
network in the beach resort city of Pattaya. The network is
expected to pass 20,000 premises by the end of 2009 and will
support businesses, schools and residences. The city is also
planning to offer free WiFi on the beaches, in an effort to promote
Pattaya as an “IT paradise location.” BBP
About the Author
You can reach Masha at masha@broadbandproperties.com.
January/February 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 21