99% of Australians With Broadband By 2009?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Monday June 18, 2007 @05:59PM from the it's-strine-for-"fast" dept.

Recently a study of broadband penetration rates around the world was in the news, because the US has fallen to 24th place worldwide, at 53%. Now comes word that the Australian Prime Minister has announced a $1.68 billion (US) plan to move Australia to 99% penetration within two years. If they accomplish this goal they will be the most-wired nation (South Korea currently occupies the top spot with 90%). The Prime Minister's plan was attacked by his political opponents because it would create a two-tier system with the country's vast (and almost empty) interior served by wireless at "only" 12 Mbps.

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the measurements are wrong!!! by flukus · 2007-06-18 18:03 · Score: 5, Interesting

I saw our communications minister (Helen Coonan) on lateline last night. She had the perfect solution to change all our broadband woes, change the way the measurements are taken. That sums up the current government though. If you don't like the statistics change the methodology.
Re:Problem is links going out of Australia. by Matt_R · 2007-06-18 23:09 · Score: 5, Interesting

The total over(under?)seas capacity will increase 10x in the next year.
Telstra are building their own 1.2Tbps cable to Hawaii, Pipenetworks are building a 640Mbps cable to Guam, and Southern Cross are upgrading their cables from 240Gbps to 1.2Tbps.
So things are actually looking good.