> > > So it *is* a replacement for the copper telephone system of the last 80+ > years.
you miss the point - it's no longer just a copper telephone system. It's operating way beyond the original intent - carrying analog voice signals. We don't need a new "phone system" we need a new network designed at the start to be capable of carrying data - that data could be voice, internet traffic, IPTV (on its own dedicated network separate from the Internet), traditional Pay TV services, telemedicine networks, etc. > > Silicon Beachers and the 'Tech' community. Lots of us do software and > web stuff and networking etc. Many here make a living from what runs > on broadband. I'm not really sure whose invitation you're waiting for? > > > There's not really anything to debug on the hardware side - the technology > > is mature and off the shelf in nature. > > If that is your argument then how come it is so expensive? Well, it's the same reason a car costs more than a pushbike or a pair of shoes isn't it? They all help you get where you're going, but the technical complexity differs, and therefore so does the cost. Companies like Alcatel Lucent have multi-billion dollar ANNUAL research budgets, do you really expect them to give away the gear for peanuts? Do you really expect to match that sort of capability with a measly $30-something billion? > > > Why waste time and money trying to reinvent the wheel? As a taxpayer, I'd > > rather the NBN utilise the most cost-effective gear available, rather than > > trying > > to brew up some solution of our own in the name of protectionism. > > That's my point. > > So how come we are being asked to pay a figure that is roughly the same > as a moon landing to lay some fibre-optic cable to replace some copper cable. > Have a look at the annualised figures for the NBN rollout compared to the budgets for welfare and health. The amount we are talking about is not THAT big for a national infrastructure project. > Many of us who have rewired our buildings networking, replacing CAT-5 etc > know that it isn't so hard. > > Maybe the cabling goes aren't going out in the cold like my grandfather did > in a tent for 10+ years and are instead choosing to stay in the Hilton every > night till the job is done. > > If so.. then I can understand the price tag... It's neither A nor B, but you have to be realistic, a lot of these guys have skills that are in demand, and could easily be pulling $500-1k/day in mining. It seems to me you're having a hard time accepting that a lot of this pricing is dictated by the markets, both for the equipment, and the labour force. I'm sure that the CEO from Telmex who said the NBN was too expensive could do it cheaper in Mexico where minimum wages are like $5/week, but in this country, we respect the rights of workers to earn a fair wage, and expect that their employers will observe OH&S rules. All the hand-wavy "oh, SURELY you can do it for 1/3rd the cost?!" arguments have no basis in reality. Anyway, I'm done here, you clearly have formed an opinion, which you're more than entitled to - I'm not going to waste any more time trying to convince you otherwise. Cheers, W. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach Australia mailing list. Guidelines on discussion: http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia/msg/351e183e1303508d?hl=en%3Fhl%3Den No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself. To post to this group, send email to silicon-beach-australia@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to silicon-beach-australia+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia?hl=en?hl=en
