Shorter contracts, satellites on tender, e-health and e-ducation, plus an opportunity to put your NBN questions to Malcolm Turnbull are all part of this week’s NBN news.
• The big news of the week (which technically broke late last week) was that NBN Co’s reduced its ISP contracts to a single year, down from five, after the ACCC criticised the overly lengthy contract terms it previously imposed [ZDNet]
• The NBN will put out to tender the satellite parts of its service, with costing estimated in the range of $250-$300 million per satellite. They’re meant to be in the air by 2015. [The Australian]
• While we’re on the subject of money, new Government funding initiatives will see researchers in Western Australia received $30,000 to study the design of atenna arrays for the delivery of wireless services, with the aim being to improve NBN delivery in remote rural areas [Electronics News]
• The member for Farrer, Sussan Ley isn’t happy with the NBN rollout. No real shock there; she’s a Liberal party member, and she’s spruiking the party line. That being said, specifically, she’d like a website set up to show people when the NBN will be coming to their town. [ABC Online]
• The Victorian Government announced initiatives to use the NBN to deliver e-health services to the elderly in regional areas [ITWire]
• Not be outdone, the NSW Department of Education announced a partnership with AARNet to use the NBN for high speed educational videoconferencing purposes [ITWire]
• Optus is yet to announce its NBN pricing, and this week, the head of its government and corporate affairs (which includes the NBN) Maha Krishnapillai stepped down for personal reasons. [CIO]
• Finally, Channel Seven’s Weekend Sunrise is touting the fact that they’ll have Malcolm Turnbull on as a guest tomorrow purely to take viewer questions. If you wanted to chance your luck at getting a question through on the NBN, the contact form is here.
MDolley
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 11:29 AMI was going to submit a question on the Sunrise thing, but then I saw
“we want your honest questions but also questions that you are prepared to attack your name to”
I don’t want Malcolm Turnbull to attack my name. I like my name.
Ed
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 11:42 AMI think Sussan Ley is onto something. NBN Co. should have a simple map showing currently rolled out, rolling out, soon to be rolled out and under negotiation indications on it. I really just want to know where all our billions of dollars are going. I’m for NBN but I think it could be more transparent.
Flame
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 1:12 PMLike on the NBN website?…
http://www.nbnco.com.au/our-network/maps.html
Aaron
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 5:10 PMMore like a comprehensive list with forecast dates for all the towns that aren’t on those maps, which is most of them.
I live in Karratha and I’d love to know when we’re getting it.
Greg
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 12:18 PMI just want to know when affluent areas like Forest Lake are going to get a half decent internet connecitons. ADSL throttled by my neighbours usage just doesn’t cut the mustard when you’re used to a 21 meg cable connection.
Still, it’s marginally better then dialup.
Antonia
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 12:27 PMI hope that the NBN survives a change in government. The NBN is something that I believe will greatly benefit all Australians.
Ozoneocean
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 3:32 PMIt depends on how far along it is if and when a change happens.
If it is far enough along that it can’t feasibly be terminated easily and a change of government happens, then the libs with just cash in on what they can- transferring any public infrastructure straight into private hands, then they’ll re-brand the whole thing to distance it from the previous government… call it the “Australian broadband initiative” or something. Then they’ll say that the NBN was a massive monumental failure and waste of public funds on an epic scale, while the new improved “ABI” is an amazing improvement that’s already making record profits and will benefit our country for decades to come.
David B
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 1:31 PMMakes me sad that Tasmania has heaps of sites under construction, and Adelaide and surrounds only have “Within 12 months”. Joy.