WCA May 2013

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10 Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2013
Australia’s communications
minister, Stephen Conroy, says that,
under a coalition plan, Australians will
have to pay up to $3,000 for the final
kilometre of fibre cable to their
premises.
Opposition communication spokesman
Malcolm Turnbull told an information
technology conference that he backed
a plan where consumers on a
fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network could
pay to upgrade their home or business
for a full-fibre cable link.
The FTTN rollout would involve the
fibre broadband cable rolled to a
cabinet on the corner (or node), with
the last kilometre or so using the fixed
copper line to the property: “...if you’ve
got a customer that wants fibre, for
whatever reason, then there’s no
reason, technically, why you shouldn’t
make it available,” Mr Turnbull told
reporters.
Senator Conroy said Australians would
have to pay extra to connect to super
fast broadband: “I have seen estimates
that if this approach was adopted in
Australia it could cost as much as
$3,000 to get connected.”
He said Labour’s NBN would deliver
high speed broadband optic fibre
cable to 93 per cent of homes and
businesses across Australia by June
2021, yet: “Under the coalition,
fibre-to-the-home for most Australians
would only be available if you could
afford it,” he said.
The coalition is yet to release its
broadband policy.
Final kilometre fracas for Australian broadband
The leading international wire and cable industry associations are
collaborating again to hold the 6th CabWire World Conference at the Palazzo
Turati in Milan, Italy, on Monday, 4th November 2013.
This year’s theme will be “Innovations driving worldwide wire and cable
markets” and will feature a panel of both ferrous and non-ferrous expert
speakers, presenting papers on the latest technological developments
within the industry.
The conference, organised by ACIMAF, CET, IWCEA, IWMA and WAI, will also
have table-top exhibits on display and there will be the opportunity to attend
a gala dinner at the Royal Palace, which overlooks the historic Duomo Piazza.
There will also be a guided factory visit on Tuesday, 5th November.
To be considered for presenting a paper or to book your place as a
delegate, visit
ACIMAF, CET, IWCEA, IWMA and WAI Website:
Conference call for papers