John Linton .....given our recent experiences it is by no means certain.
The first Exetel ADSL customers have been connected to the 'NBN2'. The process of getting that to happen, allowing for "it's very early stages and "this is a test phase", has been dramatically bad. I don't know what has changed since the similar events of the 'NBN2' "trial" in Tasmania but every part of the process is much, much worse. Having been around setting up new networks in various forms for more than two minutes I am aware that it isn't the easiest set of tasks any company can undertake but then neither is it that difficult - particularly when you have an infinite financial budget and over three years to deliver the first simple services.
Firstly, there are no B2B systems that allow customer orders to be processed seamlessly with automatic feedback of how those orders are progressing through the system (if in fact they are). There, currently, are many, many other difficulties with these processes which could be put down to "it's only a trial" and "the production system will solve all those issues". However three years is a very long time not to have developed these simple interfaces and back end processes that every other provider in Australia has managed to develop before they offered live services. The scheduled 'go live' date for the 'NBN2' in the test locations is October 1st and after many years of dealing with network providers and their systems I am pretty sure, based on our current experiences, that this particular provider is nowhere near ready to do that.
Similarly, I have little doubt that the current simple problems will be fixed in a relatively short time frame but that isn't the issue. The issue is the people quality/experience/receptiveness demonstrated during this period has been so much less that would have been expected of even Telstra at its most lethargic - it under scores the overall problem of building a new government monopoly - where do you find the number and calibre of people required to make a new national network 'happen'. As NBNCo's recruiting continues and you begin to recognise the names of some of the people being recruited in the more prominent positions there are two trends that are very noticeable. These are, from the few people you know well enough to speak sensibly with, the remuneration being paid is way over the top at the middle levels at which I know people. The second is that the people are not exactly 'busy'. If I was unkind I would add a third - I haven't noticed any 'super stars' being recruited...these are all 'middle positions' and it bodes not too well for the real people - the engineers and provisioning people who will do all of the real work.
Yes, I know - "it's very early days". However the extraordinary difficulties that have been encountered over these early days (and let me say these difficulties were not experienced in the Tasmanian "trial") indicate that there are some new issues with this phase of the 'roll out' which, let's face it, only involves a hand full of end user services. I don't know what tools and processes the field engineers have at their disposal but they appear inadequate and there are a worrying number of site visits that result in NFF but even while the FE is at the customer premises it must be obvious to him there is no data flow.....assuming he had the appropriate tools.
Early days of course. I wonder if NBNCo's raft of head hunters knows that if you recruit mediocre middle management you never get any better than below average operational personnel reporting to them? I wonder if they care?
A 'new' national network monopoly staffed by below average ex-Telstra personnel is not a happy thought.
Copyright © Exetel Pty Ltd 2011
ABN 350 979 865 46