What is it about Aussies and the need for speed? A second Australian mobile operator has come out and promised a 42Mbps in the next couple of years. Hot on the heels of incumbent Telstra, Optus has now promised a super speedy mobile network by the middle of 2010.
However, neither Telstra nor Optus has discussed what new applications, if any, will debut on the super-fast network. Still, after all the slow build up in 3G speeds in Europe, it’s good to see a couple of operators not shy about promising tens of megabits.
Currently, Australia is planning a fixed fibre-to-the-node network that will get 12Mbps to 98 percent of the population in the next five years. Meanwhile, Optus is promising to get 42Mbps (admittedly maximum peak downlink) to the same coverage level in less time. This could make Australia one of the few countries where mobile network are faster than fixed in real terms. Wow.
It is funny (as a Canadian) to watch a country that has pretty much followed in the footsteps of Canadians economically rushing ahead of us.
Canada is and has one of the best broadband networks in the world in the ground but our wireless efforts have been pathetic and tortured. Canadians need to demand much much more from their providers or risk falling behind economically as wireless becomes more and more a platform for businesses to grow.
Personally one of my issues (this may actually surprise some) to moving back home is how juvenile wireless is because that is how I do business, and how I interact/socialise.
I am not interested in paying long-distance talking to friends just outside of the city or province. Not interested in getting slow connections, paying high tariffs, or worst of all paying the huge 'handset' prices that Canadians pay.
In the UK I pay nothing for a blackberry but in Canada I would pay over
It is funny (as a Canadian) to watch a country that has pretty much followed in the footsteps of Canadians economically rushing ahead of us.
Canada is and has one of the best broadband networks in the world in the ground but our wireless efforts have been pathetic and tortured. Canadians need to demand much much more from their providers or risk falling behind economically as wireless becomes more and more a platform for businesses to grow.
Personally one of my issues (this may actually surprise some) to moving back home is how juvenile wireless is because that is how I do business, and how I interact/socialise.
I am not interested in paying long-distance talking to friends just outside of the city or province. Not interested in getting slow connections, paying high tariffs, or worst of all paying the huge 'handset' prices that Canadians pay.
In the UK I pay nothing for a blackberry but in Canada I would pay over £150 plus need to sign a 3 year contract… 3 YEARS!!! That is scary for someone like me who has switch to buying his own handsets and going 'Sim-free' and switching providers when I please…
Canada you really need to stop worrying about your 'softwood' lumber dispute and worry about the broader economy as the rest of the west is moving to highly mobile, and dynamic workforces you are falling further behind.
Cheers
Roger
It is funny (as a Canadian) to watch a country that has pretty much followed in the footsteps of Canadians economically rushing ahead of us.
Canada is and has one of the best broadband networks in the world in the ground but our wireless efforts have been pathetic and tortured. Canadians need to demand much much more from their providers or risk falling behind economically as wireless becomes more and more a platform for businesses to grow.
Personally one of my issues (this may actually surprise some) to moving back home is how juvenile wireless is because that is how I do business, and how I interact/socialise.
I am not interested in paying long-distance talking to friends just outside of the city or province. Not interested in getting slow connections, paying high tariffs, or worst of all paying the huge 'handset' prices that Canadians pay.
In the UK I pay nothing for a blackberry but in Canada I would pay over £150 plus need to sign a 3 year contract… 3 YEARS!!! That is scary for someone like me who has switch to buying his own handsets and going 'Sim-free' and switching providers when I please…
Canada you really need to stop worrying about your 'softwood' lumber dispute and worry about the broader economy as the rest of the west is moving to highly mobile, and dynamic workforces you are falling further behind.
Cheers
Roger