Displaying items by tag: Robin Eckermann

The Coalition Government's decision to provide fibre connections to about 75% of homes on the NBN, making a total of eight million in all by the end of 2023, has been welcomed by tech experts, but there have been some reservations about what the policy would actually achieve.

As part of our series on the future of the NBN, iTWire had hoped to round off things with the opinions of Communications Minister Paul Fletcher and Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, the two people who are in a position to actually decide on what the future of the network will be.

Selling the NBN Co to a private entity as a monopoly would be the worst way to ensure that the network is upgraded, a network expert says, adding that if the definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results, then privatising NBN Co as a monopoly would definitely qualify.

The best way forward for the national broadband network is for it to remain in government hands and be managed for strategic advantage, rather than commercial gain, a network expert has told iTWire.

Writing down the value of the NBN to take the pressure off NBN Co trying to increase the average revenue per user and allowing more of the performance potential, that exists, to be made accessible, are steps that could improve the existing situation, a network expert has suggested.

Enabling DOCSIS 3.1 on the HFC network would be a good thing in the short term, but the longer game will always be a full-fibre given its longevity, tech experts have told iTWire.

Two experienced commentators on Australia's national broadband network, the NBN, have drawn different conclusions from the broadband speed data by Ookla, the company that provides the online Speedtest application for testing download and upload speeds.

The privatisation of NBN Co sometime in the future may well end up creating a similar situation like that in the 1990s, when the introduction of new players like Optus and the privatisation of Telstra did not bring about the level of investment needed to keep Australia's infrastructure in pace with growing digital needs, especially in regional areas, a network expert says.

Regular commentators on the national broadband network have mixed opinions about the departure of NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow, with some not absolving him of the condition of the project and others saying he could do no better under the circumstances.

The quest by the NBN Co to push up the average revenue per user is ill-fated as this would lead to a rise in retail prices, which would in turn, result in a drop in the number of paying customers, a network expert claims.

Technical experts who have closely followed the rollout of the NBN say Telstra's HFC network will need considerable work done on it to meet the needs of NBN customers.

One of Australia's well-known network experts says the comments made by NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow on the ABC's Four Corners NBN programme on Monday night indicate that he has discovered the company is in trouble as it is unlikely to make any money as per its business plan.

Why has the Australian Government set up, at great expense to the taxpayer, a standing committee on the national broadband network? Simple. It is a way of convincing people that the government is seized of the importance of the NBN and at the same time defending the cock-eyed policy it has on the rollout.

The head of a Tasmanian retail service provider has taken issue with statements made by Robin Eckermann, an adjunct professor at Canberra University, about CVC pricing and its impact on prices for NBN packages.

Contention ratios alone would not be enough for consumers to make a judgement as to which ISP would provide sufficient bandwidth for their needs, an academic claims.

The chief architect behind TransACT has suggested that if NBN Co were to make contention ratios available to consumers, it would help them choose retail service providers who could supply the speeds they sought.

An academic who was closely associated with the NBN project at its outset claims that the original fibre-to-the-premises proposal would have stimulated "an active competitive retail marketplace that would have forced RSPs to purchase adequate CVC".

An experienced telecommunications executive says a broadband network that is 60% fibre to the node will be worth much less than one which has a majority of fibre to the home connections when a bid to sell it off is undertaken.

The Peacey National Awards recognise outstanding achievement in Australian ICT. The Pearcey Medal was awarded to Stephen Baxter, and the Pearcey Hall of Fame inducted Baxter, Jim Ellis, and Robin Eckermann, and the Benson Entrepreneur of the Year was Aaron Birkby.

A former Telstra executive, a beef farmer, a regional think tank head and a telecommunications consultant have been appointed to a federal government panel that will review the adequacy of telecommunications services in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia.