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Broadband, down under

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s plan for a US $31 billion new national broadband network has the potential to transform the country’s economy when it emerges from the present downturn. In sheer scale and technological goal setting, this project is unprecedented. At a bandwidth of up to 100 megabits per second, it will provide a connection to the Internet and other applications that is a hundred times faster than what is currently available. This facility will be available to 90 per cent of Australian homes, schools, and offices. The others will get upgraded wireless and satellite connections. Although the true benefits of such a high bandwidth network will start flowing only when it is fully operational, the broadband infrastructure plan could provide, on average, 25,000 direct jobs during the eight-year life of the project. What is most striking about the Australian initiative is that the government is leading from the front. A separate company to be established with state funding and control will accept private investments, but the official stake will eventually be offloaded consistent with market conditions and security considerations.

High capacity broadband networks have the potential to bridge vast distances for a variety of needs. Both Australia and the United States recognise the ability of high-speed broadband to advance the frontiers of medicine. As a continent-sized country, Australia visualises three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of patients in remote areas being sent over the new broadband lines to doctors in cities, in real time. The U.S., which is also offering substantial stimulus funds for broadband upgrades, is tapping the state of Virginia for its expertise in telemedicine. Good broadband connections can help care for senior citizens better by enabling their homes to be wired with critical sensors. The data inputs will alert caregivers to important events, such as an accidental fall. Australia correctly recognises the ability of broadband networks to also raise efficiency in government. High quality video conferencing can speed up decision-making while cutting costs; sensors embedded in bridges and roads can communicate changes in their condition quickly. Technology offers benefits to any country with the vision to make nation-building investments. Australia has proposed to do just that during an economic recession with a brilliant plan. There is broad support among companies and citizens for the imaginative proposal that evolved from the Labour party’s 2007 election promise to provide superfast broadband. It looks like a sure winner.

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