Alan, I'm glad you have sultanas in them packets. Someone we know, lost his marbles. Two years ago, he described Australia's broadband speeds as "a disgrace" now that we are getting around to it, "Rupert Murdoch, talked privately about the need for Australia to consider separating the network operator from retail and wholesale providers" .....Courtesy:business.smh.com.au/business/news-boss-joins-call-to-end-telstra-monopoly-20081031-5fg9.html

What the?

OK, the packets description was very cute and everything but the attempt at connecting packet loss and jitter (late arrival) to the NBN is completely unrelated. Actually scratch that, they're related but the other way; the NBN will cause more packet loss/jitter if it's already happening on Telstra's network.

To explain, packet jitter and loss happens across the entire network, it's generally unlikely that it's caused on the final connection to your house and if it is it's unlikely that additional speed is going to help the situation. Packet loss and jitter is generally caused by too much data trying to be pushed down a pipe, so if the NBN is put in place there's the supposition that there will be more data around which in turn will cause more packet loss and jitter.

There's also a basic admission that they are expecting a complete monopoly of the NBN network, end to end. The way the NBN would work under a wholesale model is all the sites in a capital would be aggregated back to a single (or couple) major exchanges in each state which would interconnect with the actual ISPs who then provide all data transport from there. Telstra being a "packet expert" (welcome to the world MPLS team... only 5 years late) would have absolutely no influence because they're not the ones delivering the packets anyways (unless of course they had a complete monopoly).

Much more important for the NBN is being a DSL expert and Telstra's current performances has shown that they really don't understand what they are doing with DSL. To explain, Telstra's ADSL connections are engineered to use excess power, create crosstalk on the network and causes noise on other ADSL lines resulting in an overall depression in connection speeds; if you have an ADSL2 connection then have a look at the DMT or bucket carriers, there will generally be a clear depression in the first 255 buckets.

Don't get me wrong, I'm completely for an NBN providing it's completely separate from Telstra's retail arm. My issue is this grasp at straws and humor to try and further convince people that a company with admissions that their current network is broken, premises which are patently wrong and no real clue about running DSL networks should be gifted a monopoly on Australia. I suppose I should be encouraged that their propaganda is reaching such desperate levels.

Rgds,

remmie

OK remmie you know your stuff... I'm not going to get into the packet loss and jitter argument (except to say that a bigger, better network will cope with more data.... that is the whole point after all). And the retail/wholesale argument... I'm a pawn in that game, however the positions are pretty clear.

But calling me DESPERATE...ME? If I thought you meant it like in "Desperate Housewives"... desperate and hoplessly sexy... I could accept that... however I suspect not. So I will be forced to clarify the issue with my next video... out soon. You don't know what desperate is yet!