WTF on every level….
SMH: Labor to deliver Lightnight internet speeds
Most homes will have broadband communication speeds up to 100 times faster than what is currently available, under the Rudd Government’s plan to wire Australia for the 21st century….
…by deploying VDSL, (also known as Very High Speed DSL) technology, Senator Conroy said the new network would be able to carry up to 25 megabits per second.
Most broadband users currently receive only 256 kilobits per second – 100 times less capacity than 25 megabits – using ADSL technology.
As @reana points out on Twitter, many people subscribe to 256kbps services, HOWEVER if they’ve got access to 256k they’ve got access to 1.5mbps, and even up to 8mbps now on many ADSL 1 lines (my folks in Country WA on pair gains miles from the exchange just went to 8mbp on ADSL1). To say that 256kbps is currently what’s available is complete BS (it’s a choice, not a restriction) and nothing more than Government spin, and it’s lazy reporting from the SMH to repeat the line from the Government.
It’s also not a great sign in terms of Government direction. When I saw 100x times I automatically through 100mbps or similar, the sorts of speeds they should be talking about. Instead the Government is spinning old tech while the rest of the world goes to 100mbps, or as we saw in Japan last week, the start of 1.2gbps. So much for a new Government offering new directions.
And the headline: “lightning internet speeds,” there’s nothing lightning about 25mbps. It whole article sounds and reads light a Government press release (and I know from experience).
