With the Telstra Sale on the horizon it is important to understand why it will not be such a big deal after all. Telstra is still a monopoly, just look at your phone bill, it never seems to go down. The day is coming sooner than you think for this monopoly to fall apart, and I for one cannot wait. Take Internet over power lines….what you say!
In America the FCC (much like our Telecommunications Commission) has cleared the way for power companies to start selling broadband Internet over power lines. Yes, plug into a power source and you have broadband. This is just going to be so important for regional communities and another reason Telstra will lose its grip on our annual spend. Telstra is a company that hates discounting, in the future it will have to or be overtaken.
Called BPL for Broadband over Power Line, the technology is being welcomed by just about everyone but telephone and Internet companies.
The technology uses low-power radio signals that are fed over the same lines that carry electricity to the home. A BPL modem plugs into a wall outlet inside the house, receives those signals from the outside power lines and converts them into a digital Internet connection with the computer.
With VOIP services now beginning to scare telecom companies (that is FREE phone calls over broadband Internet) the more the merrier I say.
It is also important for poorer nations because many have electricity (not all) but not telephone.
Stay Tuned because Australian power companies have been testing these services for a number of years and the FCC ruling will give them good heart.