Australia has been watching the OPEL and FTTN network processes with baited breathe over the last few months and the process for each network hits various roadblocks and obstacles. Now the two ideas are in real trouble. If OPEL and FTTN both fall by the wayside, Australia could be left in a vast wasteland of technological limbo.
Recent outcry over replacing a CDMA network that was working for so many with Next G, which seems to work sporadically, if at all, coupled with flawed WiMax plans, abandoned OPEL ideas and faulty paperwork holding up FTTN is leading some to behave as if their hands are tied.
Thinking that no technology is better than trying and failing to find a solution (or several) that will bring the entire country into the technological future is just wrong thinking. Australia is a country that is spread far and wide, and finding a way to bring internet access to everyone, even those in the Bush and outlying areas, is key to keeping Aussies competitive in the technology age. Not to continue to develop an internet backbone would be a crime against their own people.
Wasting time arguing about whether a current technology, like CDMA (now defunct) or GSM will continue to be viable if new technology is developed defeats what should be the ultimate goal – getting your country online and functional in a digital age. If your country can’t log on from anywhere, they can’t compete. Why deprive your citizens of the chance to learn, grow and connect? Instead of wasting time debating the merits of 3G, Next G, WiMax, FTTN and other technologies, Australia should be building out as much infrastructure to support connections as it can, before it gets left behind.
