(http://www.mountbarker.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=1183)
The NBN -Australia's "high" speed internet program - has been labelled by many as a major failure. Eight years and approximately $36 billion after its conception Australia has achieved an embarrassing rating of 51, in Akamai's international ranking of interent speeds. With the project rolling out across Australia, with the hopes of giving the whole population access to high speed internet, and an estimated final cost of $49 billion, you'd expect a at least a little better.
By the end of March this year, NBN Co stated that it has reached 4.6 million homes, an increase of 2.6 million in two years. With this increase complaints have more than doubled since the final half of last year. With the increases in houses being connected, as it finally roles out to major cities, only 43% of people with access to the NBN actually use it.
To add to this it is also a service you can't say no, once it is connected in your area other phone lines and internet services will be switched off within 18 months. On top of this not every is guaranteed the same speeds, and speeds can affected due to the distance from your house to the node. Some companies don't buy as much bandwidth for some areas, so your speeds can be a lot slower than other providers. Currently there are over 50 retailers offering NBN services, so there is quite a lot of choice, meaning it could be very likely that the company you choose didn't pay up for bandwidth.
The New York Times recently wrote an article about the NBN where it outlined a few of its major faults. It also highlights how Australia was one of the first countries to attempt a nation wide plan to connect the entire population to the internet, and staed that this ambitious plan was slowed/ruined by changes in government and a slow roll out. It also went on to add “The story of Australia’s costly internet bungle illustrates the hazards of mingling telecommunication infrastructure with the impatience of modern politics,”
(http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/nbn/new-york-times-skewers-australias-nbn-as-a-costly-internet-bungle-and-a-cautionary-tale/news-story/1d89467c00cc4ff75942c848483cb13a)
The key complaints customers have are slow speeds and dropouts, according to a recent ombudsman report. The CEO has also noted that they are expecting to hit "new problems" as the roll out the service in metro areas, as a 14,000 strong workforce start work on the city streets.
Australians are all too familiar with poor internet service, and for a country with high standards of living, one of the major gripes, both residents and tourists have, is the terrible, out dated internet services provided.
- Zac
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