Govt to build NBN

The Australian Government will form its own company and enter into public-private partnerships to build the NBN.

This is great news, but the approach to building the network will be crucial. The Australian Government must seriously consider the role of all levels of government in the build. Canada, which leads Australia in broadband take-up and speeds, used a combination of market aggregation strategies and local and regional initiatives. The NBN announcement provides an opportunity to get the approach right, after years of government failure.

I am speaking on 2GB Radio today about the NBN announcement.

Government may go it alone on NBN

Speculation from an industry consultant suggests the Australian government may 'go it alone' in building the NBN. This is not such a bad idea, with the tender process already fraught with political strife. There are opportunities for the government to build such a project in a way that benefits citizens, rather than entrenching interests which will add another legacy to the already ailing system.

It is still speculation at this stage, but it is about time the public debate changed its tune. It would be great to see such important infrastructure built in the public interest, but determining what the 'public interest' should be, however, is another story.

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World's fastest consumer broadband

The New York Times is reporting that the fastest consumer broadband connection in the world at the moment is Liberty's J:Com service in Japan. At 160mbps, the speed is no doubt blistering. At $20 for the upgrade to pass each home, it is cheap, too.

I am not convinced that the prices are not subsidised by the Japanese government, but the NYT article makes a point that one of the reasons blistering Net speeds are not available in the US is that it may impact upon the cable providers' subscription TV services.

It will be interesting to find out the details of Australia's NBN and whether similar technology will be available here.

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