Digital Inclusion | Infoxchange Australia

Digital Inclusion | Infoxchange Australia: "The importance of Digital Inclusion

It remains an alarming fact that in 2013:

1.8 million Australian households have no internet connection.
A large percentage of those on the wrong side of the digital divide are compounded by other forms of disadvantage, exclusion or vulnerability.
A growing evidence base, globally and within Australia, demonstrates that those digitally excluded are more likely to encounter profound disadvantage."

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NBN Co hastens 1000Mbps internet speed launch

NBN Co hastens 1000Mbps internet speed launch: "NBN Co has accelerated plans to offer gigabit broadband speeds to homes and businesses – 10 times faster than those it offers users today – as it seeks to prove the technological superiority of Labor’s $37.4 billion national broadband network.

The company will allow consumers to access speeds of up to 1000 megabits per second by December this year, ditching previous plans for a launch next year. NBN Co head of product and sales John Simon said the new speeds would be made available alongside upgrades to the network aimed at businesses."

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Broadband apps to change Australian homes, making them smarter with better technology | Information, Gadgets, Mobile Phones News & Reviews | News.com.au

Broadband apps to change Australian homes, making them smarter with better technology | Information, Gadgets, Mobile Phones News & Reviews | News.com.au: "A CSIRO report to be released today shows how Australians will soon be living in smart houses with broadband-enabled apps doing everything from monitoring the elderly in their homes to telling us what to watch on TV."

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Kiama, Willunga first to hit 50% premises passed by NBN - Telecompaper

Kiama, Willunga first to hit 50% premises passed by NBN - Telecompaper: "The average take-up of National Broadband Network (NBN) services in Australia stands at 34.4 percent in communities where the network has been active for more than twelve months. The figures, reported by NBN Co, the company rolling out the network, also show that Kiama (NSW) and Willunga (SA) are the first locations with more than 50 percent of premises passed by the NBN."

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Using the NBN to reinvent Centrelink | Business Spectator

Using the NBN to reinvent Centrelink | Business Spectator: " As the political jousting on the NBN pauses for breath, now might be a good time to consider just what benefits universal high-speed broadband could bring to both the private and the public sector.

What impact might the NBN have on government service delivery costs? The simple answer is none if there is no fast, ubiquitous network. However, even with a network available meaningful change will be hard to come by if government agencies don’t rethink their service and delivery models.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s achievable."

Read more: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/3/28/technology/using-nbn-reinvent-centrelink#ixzz2Op1abZE3
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NBN Co gets survivability right | Business Spectator

NBN Co gets survivability right | Business Spectator: "Labor’s ambitious national broadband network (NBN) is living on borrowed time and will almost certainly be binned after the September election. The NBN may have had its fair share of problems – some legitimate and some self-inflicted – but it has a lot of redeeming features as well, especially when it comes to the network’s architecture. The Coalition’s NBN alternative may seem pragmatic but can it afford to undo the good work done so far?"

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NBN Co’s rate of return forecast ‘dubious’

NBN Co’s rate of return forecast ‘dubious’: "Leading telecommunications economists have questioned NBN Co’s claims that it will deliver a 7.1 per cent return for the government by 2040, as it faces a decision from the competition watchdog on its pricing methods.

The company has maintained it will recover its $37.4 billion capital cost by 2033 and generate a positive return for the government of 7.1 per cent between 2012 and 2040.

A positive financial return is critical because it allows the government, under international accounting standards, to classify equity funding for NBN Co as an investment on the budget, rather than an expense."

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