John Linton ........because, apart from anything else, there can never be enough spectrum. Such statements are common by idiots who have never visited London, New York, Los Angeles or any other megalopolis where over ten million people are crammed into an area one tenth the size of greater Sydney and happily used a wireless broadband service for serious applications....
....or some other BS as reported in this article on Telstra's planned LTE deployment:
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/387620/telstra_track_4g_lte_2011_/
Apart from Mr Mercer joining the long line of ignorant dummies whose stupid pronouncements on wireless broadband return to haunt them, the major point of this 'development' is that significantly faster wireless broadband speeds will now become available and, in some areas those speeds will begin to approach the fastest speeds available from ADSL. Nothing Earth shattering in itself but simply marking another milestone along the defined path mapped out for mobile wireless development - not quite 100% 4G but so close it makes no end user difference.
How/when Optus and, possibly VHA deliver similar speeds via similar technology later this year remains to be seen but both of those companies are on the public record as saying they will do so. Similar things are happening in the US and in the EU with LTE/4G networks already in operation and, apparently, not suffering from spectrum availability issues. It's very early days for these new, increased, speeds and doubtless the "never be enough spectrum" nay sayers will continue with their 'proofs' - in the meantime, as has been the case since mobile broadband 'appeared', an ever growing number of users will continue to use it at ever increasing speeds and continually lower costs.
The significance, if that's the right term, of this week's 'announcement' (it was actually 'announced' more than a year ago) is not what effect it will have on ADSL but the implications for the future 'NBN2'. Stupid Stephen's current pronouncements that 12 mbps is the base line speed of the 'NBN2' now means that, at least, Telstra's wireless broadband will be as fast as the 'NBN2' is planned to be in the future - but it is deliverable 'now' with a mapped out growth path that will ensure it keeps getting faster. Cost and geographic availability are both likely to be better than the 'NBN2' for a significant number of people and the lower data downloads implicit in wireless broadband are likely to be more than sufficient for an increasing percentage of broadband users....I seem to remember making these comments getting on for four years ago now.
As someone who uses wireless broadband and a mobile MoIP telephone, and has done so for some considerable time, I find no limitations in doing so. I don't play rpgs or pirate movies - a usage 'pattern' I share with a largish percentage of adult internet users. Whatever percentage that currently may be it is more likely than not to continue to increase which, inevitably, means that the possible maximum market for the 'NBN2' will continue to decrease. The 'NBN2' never had any appeal outside entertainment internet users, and most of that appeal was for illegal downloads. So, you could take a sustainable view that the current federal government is spending a huge and unknown number of tax payer's dollars to rot the minds of the Australian population by making anti social behaviour patterns more prevalent and encouraging the theft of other people's intellectual property.....powered by a desperate desire to cling on to keeping their noses in the trough.
Panem et circenses ring any bells?
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