I wish to share my experience in Telstra in regard to the rollout of the fibre network across my area of responsibility.
The timelines were we in South West Qld was to get fibre into every hospital in our areas asap as it was envisaged with this technology operations and services could be overseen externally online, saving time ,travel, and other tyrannies of distance delivering to our country populations.
While this was in progress I had the opportunity to talk to a specialist on site who was excited about this new technology.
This was about the time when transmission equipment was progressing to tripling the traffic on a single fibre by transmitting both ways on one tube. New stuff then but granted now.
The conversation moved to the difference it would make when a hub was established in a town and people who were house bound or even bed bound could have what he referred to as “Health Packs” installed into their homes with communications that monitored patients online and monitored by hospitals and having field staff in hubs that could attend quickly if things went bad.
At the time this was in planning by the medical professionals but the capacity we were delivering would be more than capable but the upgrade of the subs premises tech was imperative hence fibre to the kerb.
The offshoot to mobile phones and computers was a bi product.
This was in the 90’s and as history reveals Murdock’s Foxtel was in its infancy rolling out and any capacity to create competition to that was killed off leaving him a monopolistic network protected by government.
I make the point no NBN was even thought of, it was a network we were rolling out for all Australians as part of Telecom Australia’s/ Telstra’s charter and communication was a “Essential Service” .
The LNP decided communication was NOT a Essential Service and enter privatisation where providing service had to show a profit or it was not a priority. They lied to the public by promising mobile communication but the capacity of the fibre network was more profitable on the seaboards so the bush was lower expensive installation therefore abandoned.
Health aspirations on initial rollouts was squashed under the coalition but they sucked in the locals and we as the front line had to play the game bullshitting to genuine people .
After Howard was ejected government listened to the technical people within the industry and realised expanding the national network was a nation building asset enter the NBN, but when they regained government they sabotaged it immediately returning to copper we installed in the 70’s .
That says it all about how this government protects multi nationals donors at the expense of everyday Australians, keeping competition away from Murdock for his continuing support in the media.
I absolutely loved my time with My life with all the growing facets of our communication industry, but when I was directed to shut down depots, which we’re community assets , culturally and historically without compassion it was time for me to go, and seeing how small town communities now so abandoned now makes us old lines staff just so sad, but that’s “can do capitalism” I’m told, but just imagine if that model that specialist had was allowed to bear fruit would our aged care industry be in its present state of total disrepair and would we have so many unneeded death
The Lateral Hazard 