Is Australia’s Rudd Labor Government taking Aussies for a ride when it comes to the Internet and broadband?

First we have a minimum 12Mbps fibre broadband guarantee that has seen delay after delay, with a 5 year build-out timeframe that hasn’t seen a single sod of soil turned, any contracts awarded and the removal of Australia’s dominant telco, Telstra, from the NBN (National Broadband Network) tender bidding process.

Then came the revelations that Australia’s new Government wants to censor the Internet, supposedly to protect Australians from child pornographers by blocking websites that pedophiles aren’t using in any case, preferring instead to operate via P2P and other more secretive channels. This then led the Government to announce it would trial the filtering of P2P services as well.

Now we have the Federal Opposition making claims that the “Rudd Government does not believe taxpayers should have to foot the bill for broadband services in any part of Australia where a commercially sustainable wireless option is available”.

Opposition Shadow Minister for Communications, Senator Nick Minchin, says in that statement that this “raises serious questions about its motivation to spend $4.7 billion of taxpayers’ money on its trouble-plagued National Broadband Network”.

The rest of the Senator’s statement is as follows:

“It has been reported that the Rudd Government plans to reduce subsidies available under the Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) program by tens-of-millions of dollars because of the continued expansion of 3G wireless services.

“The ABG was established by the previous Coalition Government to provide Australians living in under-serviced parts of the country access to subsidised broadband services such as satellite.
 
“In what could amount to a major broadband policy shift by Labor, the spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has told The Australian: “The purpose of the ABG is to ensure metro-comparable broadband is available to all Australians. If it is available from a sustainable commercial operator then there is no need for taxpayers to subsidise.”
 
“Senator Minchin said these comments indicate that the Rudd Government itself does not really believe taxpayer money should be spent in any area where the private sector is providing some type of viable broadband service fixed or wireless.
 
“The Rudd Government wants to spend $4.7 billion of taxpayers’ money on a fibre to the node project that will replicate the type of fixed-line services already available to many Australians, particularly those living in metro areas, but is now effectively saying it doesn’t really believe taxpayers should have to pay,” Senator Minchin said.

Senator Minchin continued: “While Labor’s firm promise is to deliver new high-speed fibre-to-the-node broadband services to 98 per cent of Australians, the experts have long said and the NBN bidders themselves have now confirmed, that this is nothing more than a naive Labor pipe dream, even with the Commonwealth subsidy.
“So if Labor still plans to spend the $4.7 billion, do the spokesman’s comments indicate that it has now given up on delivering fibre to the node to rural, regional and remote Australians as promised?

“Does this pave the way for it to do what many have long suspected, roll out fibre in well-serviced and easy-to-reach metro areas until the money runs out?” Senator Minchin asked.
 
“On top of that, Labor will scale back the ABG and what tell rural, regional and remote Australians that ‘even though we promised you fibre to the node broadband like the city, we’ve decided you can’t have it and expensive wireless or satellite is good enough for you’?”
 
“By contrast the previous Coalition Government was to contribute $958 million towards a new, high-speed broadband network for under serviced parts of rural and regional Australia (OPEL), which was targeted for completion by mid 2009. Labor cancelled this project with no alternative to it and now also wants to scale back the ABG.
 
“Senator Minchin said these developments made urgent the need for Senator Conroy to release his expert panel’s report which includes recommendations on bids for the NBN and is due on Wednesday (21 January).
 
“This report, as well as that of the ACCC on crucial competition and regulatory issues, must be released, with the opportunity for public comment before the Rudd Government makes any decision,” Senator Minchin concluded.

Serious questions have been raised, but given the torturous path that has already been taken, clear answers from politicians seems as forlorn a hope as encountering an honest second-hand car salesman, true world peace, a sound gold-backed currency or an operating system that doesn’t crash.

Source:   http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/22723-coalition-says-labor-changing-98-broadband-nbn-promise

Five Questions to Help You Decide Which Telephone System Is Best for Your Business

There are various options in the market nowadays when it comes to business telephone systems; therefore it can be a challenge to decide which telephone system is best for your organization.

In this article we have put together five useful questions that every businessperson should ask him/herself before adopting a new business telephone system.

1. Is it easy to install and configure?

If you are running a small to medium size business, chances are that you have an outsourced Network Manager to manage your IT needs, and every hour he/she spends at your business is a paid hour. With this in mind, make sure the business telephone system you select is easy to install and configure. If you go for a complicated proprietary phone system or software-based IP PBX running on a difficult platform such as Linux, you run the risk of needing to hire a specialized installer trained on that particular phone system. Windows-based business telephone systems, for example, are so simple to install and configure that you don’t require specialized skills to make them work.

2. Is it easy to manage?

Having a specialized telephone manager to look after the day-to-day needs of your business telephone system just because it is difficult to use can affect your business’ bottom line. There are IP PBX’s out there that use a web-based interface and that can be managed very easily by your Network Manager – even remotely!

3. Is it scalable?

You certainly want your telephone system to grow with your business, and most proprietary systems are very easy to outgrow, needing hefty investments in hardware to add phone lines and extensions. A business telephone system that is software-based can easily handle a large number of extensions and phone lines. This is something which is definitely worth taking into consideration when looking into your present and future telephony needs.

4. Does it have all the features I need?

Most proprietary systems come with a fixed set of features and expanding on them can be very expensive. If your business requires a rich feature set such as auto attendant, voice mail, call queuing, and unified messaging, then you might want to look into a VoIP telephone system. Since VoIP business telephone systems are software-based, their features are easy to program and add-on to the software.

5. Does it make me save money?

At the end of the day, you want to enhance your business’ profit margins by saving costs. A software-based business telephone system allows you to save costs by getting rid of costly phone wiring, leveraging the internet for telephone calls and using SIP standard equipment that is much cheaper than proprietary phones. A VoIP telephone system also allows your staff to work remotely, to hot-desk and get rid of phone-tag, hence increasing their productivity and mobility. If you adopt a telephone system that gives you these advantages, then your business is most likely to see immediate profit-boosting benefits.

FOR MORE INQUIRY CONTACT :

INFO@FIXTEL.COM OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.FIXTEL.COM

These days, demand requires a higher standard of phone system. The problem is that a wired phone system can get to be way too complicated. Have you ever tried to identify which phone is running from which line or where the signal is coming from in the first place? That takes a lot of work, and no doubt the technicians of old remember crawling through ducts trying figure out where a line was broken.

Voice over IP is a great new way of communicating, and as such many businesses and individuals have taken to using it. The biggest difference is that VoIP works through an internet connection or even a cable connection. Essentially it rids you of the need to pay for both a phone line and your phone package.

FIXTEL offers one of the widest ranges of IP based phones for businesses, and they have packages for everyone. From the small business to the worldwide enterprise, there is a package and a plan that will fit your needs. No matter which package you need though, there are a number of features that you will be able to get.

For instance, you will always have the ability to hold a business meeting whether you are on or off the premises. Mobility is in high demand, and as such it is the number one service that most suppliers, including Nortel are going to provide.

FIXTEL even offers video conferencing, which is something that was not quite as efficient when using POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). Luckily when you are using VoIP, there are more possibilities than ever before. One of the best parts is the ability to reach your people whenever you need to.

The ability to route your office phone to your mobile phone will ensure that you are never out of touch with the home office. Once again, it\’s all about mobility. You can plainly see that there are many new possibilities with phones these days. At one time they were only used for calls in and out of the office, but these days they are relied on far more. They have become complex, and quite indispensable. The only thing that can stop you is the price.

The expense is probably worth it to most businesses, even if it could be in the fifty thousand pound range. You will find that nearly any investment you make for this system will be almost entirely returned before you know it. FIXTEL website will have more information regarding their various packages, so make sure you check it out today. Get rid of that old telephone system you\’ve been relying on and enjoy a greater level of communication.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED:

• PHONE SYSTEM
• VOICE & DATA CABLING
• ELECTRICAL CABLING
• SECURITY SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS
• SATELLITE INSTALLATIONS AND CONSULTANCY
• IT SERVICES
• FIBRE OPTICS INSTALLATIONS

Website: www.fixtel.com or call us 1300-85-95-20 email info@fixtel.com

Fiber optics communication systems have certainly developed the telecommunications industry and because of its advantages over electrical transmission, copper wire communications in core networks have been replaced by optical fibers. How it works is fiber optics are long, thin strands of pure thin glass that are arranged in bundles referred to as optical cables that are used to transmit light signals over long distances. Consisting of three layers, the inner core will carry the light from the sender to the receiver, while the next level of layer reflects the light back on to the core to make sure none is lost and finally an outer layer will protect the light signal from environment.

In general fiber optics is recommended for systems that require higher bandwidth across longer distances because it accommodates smoother than electrical cabling. With minimum number of amplifiers these fiber optics calbles can carry the amount of data carried in many electrical wires. When fiber cables run alongside each other for long distances, they don’t experience crosstalk unlike some types of electrical transmission lines. Several miles of optical cable could be cheaper than copper wire saving your provider and you money. Fiber optics is thinner which is why unlike electrical signals in copper wires; light signals from one fiber do not interfere with those of other fibers in the same cable which results in clearer reception. The loss of signal is also less in fiber optics than in electrical copper wires which is why lower-power transmitters can be used instead of the high-voltage electrical transmitters.

Since its suitability to be used in digital signals, optic fiber are mostly used in the telecommunication aspects. Due to the flexibility of fiber optics usages today it is often seen in almost any industry.

FOR FIBRE OPTIC AND UNDERGROUND CABLING INSTALLATION:

COTACT OUR EXPERT! : FIXTEL

website: www.fixtel.com.au

email: info@fixtel.com.au

Structured Cabling Installation
Technicians certified in terminating CAT 5, CAT5E and CAT6 cable
Complete Computer Network Design and Installations

Whether moving premises or starting the construction process EveryTel can assist you with designing and installing your structured voice and data cabling network, or can audit and document the network you have inherited from previous building occupants. Switching equipment is only as good as the network it runs across and in plenty of cases state of the art equipment can be deemed useless as the customer’s network is of sub-standard quality usually due to poor installation practices. In most instances a network audit can help identify and diagnose the cause of these faults. Through the auditing process a list of faults can be documented and repaired making your network more efficient and reliable.

EveryTel is at the forefront of structured cabling network design and construction. All our technicians are ACA licensed and are endorsed master installers of ADC Krone cabling products. Everyone has specific network requirements to suit their business and a secure network is often a mandatory requirement. We can help advise you of the best cabling solution tailored to your needs at the most cost effective price.

Underground Cabling and Aerial Cable Installation
If you have multiple buildings on the one site and require communication links between these buildings. EveryTel can install underground or aerial cable. Our technicians are all experienced in underground cable jointing and are accredited installers.

Optic Fibre Cabling and Optic Fibre Installation
Other Optic Fibre Services: Optic Fibre Testing / Optic Fibre Repairs / Optic Fibre Splicing

Optic fibre, over time, has become a large part of local area network and carrier network in Australia. With today’s technology requiring more bandwidth than ever, optic fibre is one of the solutions that can give a network a much greater capacity to carry high amounts of data with minimum cost. As opposed to traditional copper networks, optic fibre has the ability to push the same amount of bandwidth through a single cable in comparison to that of multiple copper cables. EveryTel can assist you with all your optic fibre requirements. From switching equipment right down to the type of optic fibre cable you require for a specific project. All our technicians have their ACA optic fibre endorsements and are all experienced in terminating and splicing methods. All of our equipment is carrier graded and is calibrated on a regular basis to ensure your optic fibre network is fault free and of the highest quality.

PSTN Lines / TV Points and Cabling Phone Systems
• Residential & Commercial Cabling
• Phone Points / Telstra Lines
• Data Points / Office and Home Data Networks
• TV Points / Coaxial Cabling
• Internet Broadband Cabling

From big jobs to small, EveryTel certified technicians have handled work in homes, apartments, offices, government institutes, professional offices and industrial sites.

Our professional approach means that you will know what to expect from your technician, when you can expect to see him what will be required from you.

We pride ourselves on leaving the site as we found it and take extra care when working in peoples homes and offices to ensure that we are clean and tidy and leave no unwanted evidence of our visit.

PABX Phone Systems Installations
A correctly installed and supported phone system is an essential tool for any business.

EveryTel Business Communications experts can correctly install your phone system to allow you to provide the best possible service to your customers. We can also discuss your requirements with you to make sure you have the most appropriate system for your needs.