Telstra to upgrade cable network to 30Mbps

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 09 August 2007 09:25

Business IT - Networking

Telstra announced plans to upgrade its HFC network to enable it to deliver broadband access at up to 30Mbps.

However, the upgrade, to be completed by end of calendar 2007, will only provide the higher speed to about 1.7 million of the 2.7 million homes in the major capital cities that the network passes. The remaining one million will have access at up to 17Mbps.

CEO Sol Trujillo declined to comment on why the whole network was not being upgraded or on when that might occur, saying it was "a question of cost and marketing strategies."

The announcement produced a swift response from communications minister, Helen Coonan who used it to attack the ALP's plan for a Government-funded $4.7 billion FTTN rollout.

“Telstra has invested in a fixed high speed broadband network in commercial metropolitan areas and it has done so without any taxpayer funding and most importantly without winding back competition and consumer regulatory safeguards,” Senator Coonan said. “Telstra’s cable broadband network will provide speeds nearly three times faster than Labor’s $4.7 billion fibre-to-the-node plan."