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Posted at 12:21PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

Something very like this (but it is closed up so I can't compare the innards) has appeared at the end of our street in Otaki.

I can't recall what the ealier posting said about this, but are they rolling out far & wide yet? Or just your neighbourhood?

Posted at 12:26PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

There a guy I know (classic start) that has issues with the rolling out of the cabinets as it doesn't answer the issue of the "last mile" which he says is the key - if the data comes shooting along to a cabinet and then gets out the Ferrari and walks the last mile to your house and you computer it's not the complete answer.

He, btw, doesn't expect the likes of Telecom to be the complete answer and maybe the "last mile" is something communities sort out for themselves (as a few are around the Wellington area)

I'll flick him the post and maybe he can be far more enlightening than I have been ... but does what I've said make sense to anyone else?

Posted at 12:50PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

No.

Posted at 12:52PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

Just kidding. I understand you're saying a guy drives to the cabinets each day in a ferrari, gets everyone's email out & walks it the last mile or so to your place.

Right?

Posted at 12:55PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

There a guy I know (classic start) that has issues with the rolling out of the cabinets as it doesn't answer the issue of the "last mile" which he says is the key - if the data comes shooting along to a cabinet and then gets out the Ferrari and walks the last mile to your house and you computer it's not the complete answer.

Sure, in a perfect world. But using the existing ducting to bring the fibre to local cabinets is a big interim step, and one that can be made quite quickly. Getting fibre to everyone's house is more difficult and much more expensive.

As I noted, Telecom Wholesale is open to discussing one-off fibre runs from the cabinets, which is a start.

Posted at 1:03PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

Just kidding. I understand you're saying a guy drives to the cabinets each day in a ferrari, gets everyone's email out & walks it the last mile or so to your place.

I reckon, when he gets to the cabinet, he should phone me up and read my email out to me.

Cause all that walking, that's gotta be tiring, and you gotta use the new technology that's available.

Posted at 1:05PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

and you gotta use the new technology that's available.

That's why I thought I might apply for one of these jiobs. Get me a new ferrari!

Posted at 1:07PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

This sure is great news...unless you live in the provinces. We didn't get C4 down here, looks like we'll be left out of the terrestrial Freeview transmission areas, and I guess we'll be waiting a (long) while before we see any of this roll-out from Telecom heading our way.

But hey, fair enough, there's only 100,000 of us in Taranaki. (You remeber, we're the one's with all the milk and oil which pays for your new-fangled gadgets from overseas.) The Republic of Taranaki sure does have a nice ring to it sometimes...

Rant over.

Posted at 1:08PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

Is this actually the fastest thread-jack ever?

Posted at 1:09PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

and I guess we'll be waiting a (long) while before we see any of this roll-out from Telecom heading our way.

That's kind of why I was wondering about the shiny new cabinet down the road in Otaki, which must surely be as provincial as New Plymouth! It's a rural road too.

Posted at 1:11PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

My observation of the history of Telecom on wholesale offerings to competitors is that they delay until they have all the early-adopters signed up as well as those who understand the benefits of the new service and who are most likely to take it up right away.

Then the competition gets a look in to see if there is anyone ELSE around who might be persuaded to take up this new service...always with Telecom's own price (if you're lucky) as the floor everyone stands on. Go back to "IP Dial" 10 years ago and beyond an illustration of how this toe-dragging works. Telecom gave Xtra the very best per-minute rate possible before Xtra had gone live as an ISP or signed up a single customer. We "give them the benefit of the doubt" again and again. Swimming in shame we all should be for being fooled so many times. :-) No wonder regulation was needed....but it requires close monitoring to make it make it work for the whole industry and comms users.

Posted at 1:16PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

and I guess we'll be waiting a (long) while before we see any of this roll-out from Telecom heading our way.

That's kind of why I was wondering about the shiny new cabinet down the road in Otaki, which must surely be as provincial as New Plymouth! It's a rural road too.

As a high-demand area with abysmal service (thanks to a copper run of some kilometres) that's been making a hell of a lot of noise for the past year, Pt Chevalier was always going to be top of the list.

I don't know what their roadmap is, but we get 12 new cabinets and they're talking in terms of 3000 cabinets in five years, so I think the coverage will be pretty wide.

Posted at 1:20PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

We "give them the benefit of the doubt" again and again.

Quite right. But I think the separation will actually make a difference. Telecom Wholesale will underperform if it only has one customer. I think there needs to be some pressure put on National before the election for an undertaking that it won't put away the regulatory stick and try and pretend it's the 90s again. I wouldn't put it past Maurice.

To clarify, customers of any ISP buying wholesale DSL from Telecom will get the speed boost. It does sideline unbundling, but as a punter it's hard to complain.

Posted at 1:25PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

...and so the Cabinet wars began, as a young Taranaki boy unwittingly went to Auckland in search of his Father, with his cat and some beans to sell for a cow...

Posted at 1:28PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

Ok - this from "the bloke from the pub that I know" (with no Ferrari references at all, amateur!)

So heres a story. I got DSL from Telecom 3 years ago.
The techy measured the line speed and said I could get 2 Mb download. I never did of course. The best I ever got was I Mb And every month after that, it just got worse. After 3 years, I was luck to get 500Kb (measured by my Line speed monitor software)

The issue is backhaul from the Stratmore exchange to Wellington. As Telecom connected more DSL customers, the backhaul got more congested and the performance got worse.
It never improved, so I assume they still havent upgraded it.

Anyway, I cant tell now as I voted with my feet and went to Telstra.

So what will happen in the new cabinets that Telecom have installed fibre to?
The speed to the exchange will be great, but what will Telecom do if everyone takes the service from Orcon and then the back haul from the exchange starts getting choked?
I dont think they will rush to upgrade the backhaul and Orcon customers will be getting pissed, which is what Telecom will want anyway.

Well, enough from me.

Posted at 1:32PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

I don't know what their roadmap is, but we get 12 new cabinets and they're talking in terms of 3000 cabinets in five years, so I think the coverage will be pretty wide.

They've mentioned communities of 500+ inhabitants will be included. Little ole Brightwater where I live isn't large but is definitely on the list for the Tasman rollout.

Posted at 1:32PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

(with no Ferrari references at all, amateur!)

Those blokes in pubs really lack ambition.

Posted at 1:35PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

I think there needs to be some pressure put on National before the election for an undertaking that it won't put away the regulatory stick and try and pretend it's the 90s again. I wouldn't put it past Maurice.

Neither would I. In 1995 I represented the Greens at a panel discussion on IT (Nandor couldn't make it). On the unbundling issue, Maurice said they he didn't see the need to split Telecom into two separate entities when some kind of "chinese wall" (his words) would suffice.

His main objection seemed to be the forced appropriation of property rights. I doubt he's changed his mind.

Interestingly, I found out he was a C++ programmer. Whodathunk ?

Posted at 1:44PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

Interestingly, I found out he was a C++ programmer. Whodathunk ?

Who'd have thunk indeed. I do hope Key isn't planning to let him loose on the Communications & IT portfolios again.

Posted at 1:46PM on 28 Mar 08. Permalink.

I wouldn't put it past Maurice.

I think National's official line is reflected in Maurice's intial reaction - if it overrides property rights to unbundle it would be equally messing with susequent property rights to re-bundle. I'm not sure how that works in terms of the philosophy of property rights, but the upshot is they've said they won't reverse anything (including Ferraris?). Not caring is of course a different issue.