smackfoo.com | I find your lack of faith disturbing.

After reading yet another forum entry with the usual defence of Australia’s incumbent telecommunications giant, Telstra - I felt it was time to illustrate my, ehm, disatisfaction with their behaviour.

Normally I wouldn’t let such a topic bleed over to the ‘foo - but it might prove amusing for the odd Australian who’s crazy enough to read or subscribe. ;)

Lafiel writes…
“what has Telstra got to do with G9 running their FTTN network?”

.. if you spent more time understanding what’s at stake and less time blindly defending Telstra - you’d know the answer to that questions.. here’s a hint though.. the CAN (Copper Access Network). ;)

Telstra happens to own and manage the CAN, that includes both the last-mile of copper and the exchanges, where last mile and backhaul meet for a drinkies session and some fun.

The key to any (non Telstra) FTTN (Fibre to the Node) proposition, is Telstra actually being prepared to work with others. That’s something that just generally doesn’t work out well. Telstra will happily price gouge and crush any competitive threat in pursuit of keeping the share holders happy. Unfortunately, such antics aren’t well suited to a healthy broadband industry.

So we’ll more than likely end up with a stalemate, in that the G9 proposal will probably actually have some merit, will likely be cheaper than Telstra’s suggested costings (the G9 have had to compete with Telstra for several years, so have had to sharpen the pencil a few times) and yet it probably won’t happen simply because Telstra just doesn’t think it’s a good idea and it would be less profitable for them.

Six months after telling everyone that FTTN is a real bad idea, they will press ahead with what is, effectively, the exact same thing - only it will suddenly cost a whole lot more (both to the industry and the consumer alike) and will clobber competition with a large baseball bat in the process.

The G9 proposal offers hope of an environment where Telstra actually has to procure services just like everyone else - given the crap time Telstra has dished out to everyone else - it’s hardly surprising they don’t want to take their own medicine.

Meanwhile, Telstra bangs on claims it’s everyone else’s fault we’re in the stone age - despite the primary reason the broadband stone age is still alive and kicking is Telstra.

They have kicked and fought and railed against any form of technology improvement when it doesn’t suit them - forcing everyone else to build a highly redundant ADSL2+ network to try and work around the cave-dwelling bully.

When that stopped being anything other than a joke to Telstra, it was time for FTTH - except that wasn’t really on the cards given it meant competition was effectively cactus.

“Not to worry!” trumpets Burgess “How about a nice shiny new network based on those svelte grey RIM cabinets and fibre?” - slight problem there too, as it has this little glitch in that everyone else gets shafted (again).

“Screw you guys, I’m going home” blurts Burgess, “And if you think you can do better, knock yourselves out - we’ll be the first to sign on!”

Of course, now the G9 is actually one step closer to doing just that, we’re all now being told that the G9 aren’t just quasi-evil any more, oh no, now they are trying to destroy Telstra, raid the pantry and steal all the cookies.. and we’re all a lot better off being shafted looked after by Uncle Trujillo, cause that G9 mob are not to be trusted.

It’s increasingly difficult to take any of Telstra’s arguments seriously about why they have the god given right to plunder the broadband countryside, when the legacy of that is the situation we have now - a tilted landscape where technological innovation is held to ransom by the whims of a profit driven bully..

I don’t have a problem with Telstra making money - I have a problem with the situation where they’ve been free to decide when Australia is allowed to have new toys and who gets to sell them.