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0 pointsquink12y ago0 comments

> However, the Internet.org team does not plan to tackle some thorny infrastructure issues that are huge barriers in the developing world, particularly the long-distance transmission of data to far-flung places.

The only way this initiative will therefore accomplish access to the Internet to people without it seems to be in increasing the profit margin to the local telco. How? Through vertical integration. What does that mean? Get free Facebook with your phone. What's so bad about that? Goodbye, net neutrality in developing countries.

I'm leaving the morality judgment for others, and it's far from straightforward that this is a bad thing. But I'm rather more inspired by Google's Loon as actually having a positive impact on the developing world than this here thing.

Basically, 3G, 4G, the lot, is no good for large amounts of data. The percentage of mobile traffic of total traffic is actually dropping here in Australia - mobile data is being thrashed by fixed line services. Fixed line is growing 50% while mobile data would 10% every 6 months. And Loon acts more like a fixed line service than mobile data.

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josh260012y ago· 1 in thread

To be frank, that has a lot to do with the shifting Australian regulatory conditions, specifically deregulation. Your fixed line services, at the national level, are still relatively small. What you're referring to is what we call Last mile connectivity and competing exchanges.

In reality, there aren't very many transcontinental cables being laid right now because the ROI is greater than 30 years in most cases.

Basically my point is this: your fixed line services are growing at a fast rate because they're just now being opened to competition, but, over time, like the rest of the developed world, wireless networks will subsume your fixed line services.

Just my opinion and my two cents from talking to Aussie Telcos.

Source: I'm a telecom geek.

quinkOP12y ago

> like the rest of the developed world, wireless networks will subsume your fixed line services.

http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/8153.0~December...

You sure about that? Plus, how are you going to transmit 1 Gbps with an acceptable level of contention, with a very very thin wall or two in the way over any distance greater than let's say a hundred metres?

Plus, this deregulation that you speak of, the national telco was being privatised starting in 1997, and deregulation happened before that even. Broadband ISPs have been around forever, and their DSLAMs for more than a decade too.

> Your fixed line services, at the national level, are still relatively small.

In some areas, we've got three networks running to the same premises. Fixed line services are near enough fully built out and have been forever.

onedev12y ago

There are a lot of people who have "access" to internet infrastructure but don't have "access" to internet because it's too expensive. If we, as an industry, can cut these costs, then that makes internet more "accessible" for everyone.

We need to tackle these problems first in my opinion, before we go on to the infrastructural problems. It will make a good foundation for the infrastructure that will come later on.

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