Lasers, NBN - nothing is future-proof

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 26 May 2011 11:46

Opinion and Analysis

The kerfuffle over radio shock-jock Alan Jones suggesting that 'laser' technology is better than the fibre-based NBN over which the 'lasers' would actually run on shows that while some people love to bash Alan Jones, the NBN is still an expensive white elephant.

Wake up, NBN proponents happy to dip their hands into the wallets of all Australians - nothing is future proof.

Fibre optic cables eventually will have to be replaced, presumably at a cost of billions of dollars, faster laser technologies will come that may well require more robust fibre optic cables, faster wireless technologies will continually be developed that have greater and greater ranges and speeds and more ways for the government to waste taxpayer money will always be discovered, too.

After all, in this technologically accelerating world, nothing is future proof - not governments, not technologies, not me, not you and not even Alan Jones.

While the NBN seems inevitable, as does the inevitability of cost overruns, budget blowouts, delays, stuff-ups and other issues, and while Australia does indeed need fast Internet to as many Australian citizens as possible, why does it have to be built, come what may, no matter the cost?

Since when did financial prudence fall by the wayside? Since when did ANY technology become totally and utterly future proof?

Alan Jones is no doubt now slightly embarrassed over the fact he was unaware that the 26Tbit laser technology demonstrated in Germany actually runs over fibre optic cables.

But he should in no way be embarrassed over the fact that he is very correct in questioning the financial cost of the NBN, very correct in questioning the technical ability of the current Government to build the NBN as promised, and very correct in shining as much light as possible on what is Australia's most expensive spend-a-thon ever seen, even as the threat of filtering still lurks deep within the heart of Senator Stephen Conroy.

Continued on page two, please read on.