Life & Technology

In an earlier blog I wrote that I was impressed by Telstra’s new broadband service that is currently being rolled out in limited locations around the country, but will be more widely available later in the year.

After testing the service around Sydney over the last few days I am still impressed – BUT…

I have been testing the speeds via speedtest.net (and I admit this is not an exact scientific measurement service) and so far have experienced the following:  

1)      I have not experienced 30 megabit speeds, anywhere. Not even sitting in a park in central Sydney at 11am on a week day.

2)      I have experienced 10 megabit speeds in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney.

3)      I have experienced up to 9 megabit speeds on train.

4)      It’s worked in a train tunnel and it’s worked inside buildings

5)      I’ve used it to watch streaming video, while in the back of a car, while the car was travelling in deep gulleys and over hills – no drop outs and no loss of packets (well maybe one or two, but we will allow that)

Overall, I can’t fault it and have never seen anything like this before with wireless broadband.

If you are a business and you want fast, wireless broadband available in more places than on your current plan, then $69 a month over 24 months for 6GB of data is not a bad deal. However, I would wait until later in the year when BigPond start selling the service, that way it is likely you can get access to the walled garden of Telstra content and it won’t count to your monthly data quota.

I went on the Today Show this morning and spoke with Karl about the auction site, which has just turned 15. Although it has been around for 15 years, it is only in the last decade that it has really taken off.

It all started when a computer programmer Pierre Omidyar set up the site and sold a broken laser pointer for US$14.83, and he realised you could sell anything online.

Since then it has turned into company that has an operating income (2009) of just under US$9 billion.

So, what thought of things have been sold on eBay? As mentioned in the piece, the site has sold Brussel sprouts, Nutrigrain, and my personal favourite was when British disc jockey Tim Shaw flirted with model Jodie Marsh, live on air only for his wife to sell his Lotus Esprit for a ‘Buy Now’ price of 50p. He did end up buying it back for £5,000.

I also talked to Karl about DVD also being 15 years old. It took a while for the technology to become established, but it has almost been superceded by PVRs, blu-ray and internet downloads. The good news is there will be no more late fees, which for somebody like me, will be much appreciated.

Last week Telstra cancelled at short notice, media launch of a new broadband product telling attendees that – “With the understandably intense media and public focus on the election outcome, we’ve decided to postpone this event for approximately two weeks.”

The event was held today, and the upshot is that ‘more Australians’ (not ‘all’), can get even faster broadband. Telstra has launched a new dual channel USB Card and have up-dated their NextG Wireless Broadband Network in all capital cities, and over 100 regional locations. The result – fast, wireless Internet access of which a federal politician could argue is national broadband. I noticed that towns like Mt Isa, Armidale and Port Macquarie, which are all in the independent seats won at the recent election, will have this new technology too.

It’s fast, I just ran a speed test from on the train, down in the train station and speedtest.net rated it at just over 10 megabits.  Testing at the Tesltra launch showed just under 30 megabits! That sounds great I know, but few Aussies hang out at Telstra’s 400 George Street offices.

These speeds are the fastest data through put speed I have experienced on my laptop (when it was not plugged in to the wall).

Here are some other details:
*Wireless speed 32 megabits bursts – 1.1 to 20 megabits speed standard.
*All capital cities, 5km from the cbd. Plus city hubs in places like Parramatta.
*100 regional centers, over 50% of the population will have access to the speed.
* Cost – from $69 a month for 6 gigabytes (uploads and downloads) on a 24 month contract (includes the USB modem)

Australia just got better broadband, and it will be roling out through out the remainder of the year as Telstra start spreading the word.

As mentioned, the electorates of the three independent politicians debating the future of government of our country were not left out, but here are the other locations that will receive this ultrafast broadband.

UP-DATE –
After spending some time playing around with the new service I have had a mixed level of results, however I am not complaining. While travelling on the train through North Sydney station, I received 9 megabit speed. While on the train over the Sydney Harbour bridge, 14 megabit speed. In the tunnel between North Sydney and Waverton (where other telco broadband services drop out), I experienced 4 megabit speeds. While using the service in Chatswood, 12 megabit speeds. I’ll keep trying out the service around sydney and logging my results. However, I will say I have never seen internet data speed results like this before, ever. Not on wireless internet speeds anyway.  

Greater Adelaide
Adelaide Domestic and International Airports, Cheltenham, Elisabeth, Gawler, Glenelg (CBD), Port Adelaide, Queenstown, Smithfield, Stirling Shopping Centre – Westfield Marion, Oaklands Park Westlakes (incl Stadium) and Westlakes shore

Greater Brisbane
Amberley RAAF base, ANZ (formerly) Stadium, Caboolture (CBD), Eagle Farm Domestic Airport, Eagle Farm International Airport, Eagle Farm/Doomben Racecourse, Enoggera Army Barracks, Heavy Industrial Areas – Lytton, Pinkenba, Myrtletown, Bulwear Island, Ipswich (CBD), Queensland Tennis Centre, Redland Bay (CBD)

Great Melbourne
Avalon Airport, Bayswater, Braeside, Camberwell, Campbellfield, Shopping Centre – Dandenong Plaza, Dandenong, Deakin Uni – Burwood campus, Shopping Centre – Knox Shopping Centre, Wantirna, Malvern, Melton, Shopping Centre – Eastland, Ringwood, Shopping Centre – Waverley Gardens, Mulgrave, Shopping Centre – Westfield Airport West, Airport West, Sunbury, Tullamarine Airport, Werribee (CBD), Shopping Centre – Westfield Southland, Cheltenham

Greater Darwin
Airport, Casuarina, Palmerston

Greater Sydney
Bondi Beach, Camden, Chatswood (CBD), Epping, Gosford (CBD), Liverpool (CBD), Maquarie Park, Narellan (CBD), Olympic Park/Stadium’s area, Parramatta (incl. Rosehill Racecourse), Penrith (CBD), Picton , Richmond (CBD), Richmond RAAF Base, Sydney Domestic and International Airport – Mascot, Windsor (CBD)

Greater Perth
Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah (CBD), Northam, Perth Domestic And International Airports, Pinjarra, Rockingham (CBD)

Greater Canberra
Airport, Curtin, Fisher, Spence, Waramanga

Greater Hobart
Cygnet, Dodges Ferry, Hobart Airport, Kingston, Shopping Centre – Eastlands, Rosny, Shopping Centre – Northgate, Glenorchy, Sorell, Tranmere

Regional Upgrades

NSW
Albury/Wodonga (Albury CBD), Armidale (CBD), Bathurst, Coffs (CBD), Dubbo, Forster, Gilgandra, Goulburn, Gunnedah, Kempsey, Maitland (CBD), Newcastle (CBD), Lake Macquarie, Orange, Parkes, Peak Hill, Port Macquarie (CBD), Singleton, Wagga Wagga (CBD), Wollongong (CBD), Wyong (CBD)

VIC
Bairnsdale (CBD), Ballarat (CBD), Bendigo (CBD), Castlemaine, Echuca (CBD), Geelong (CBD), Horsham (CBD), Mildura (CBD), Morwell, Sale, Shepparton (CBD), Swan Hill, Traralgon, Wangaratta (CBD), Warrnambool (CBD)

SA
Clare, Mt Barker, Mt Gambier, Murray Bridge (CBD), Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Prominent Hill, Roxby Downs, Victor Harbor, Wallaroo, Kadina, Whyalla

TAS
Burnie, Bridport, Deloraine, Port Sorell, Launceston (CBD), Longford, St Helens, Ulverstone

NT
Alice Springs

QLD
Bowen, Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Southport, Nerang, Cooloongatta, Gympie, Hervey Bay, Mackay (CBD), Maryborough, Moranbah, Mt Isa, Nambour, Port Douglas, Rockhampton, Roma, Caloundra, Maroochydore, Noosa, Toowoomba (CBD), Townsville, Yeppoon

WA
Albany, Boddington,