Young’s NBN users have long complained about poor download and upload speeds and now there is new evidence to support their claims.
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It has been revealed that Australia’s fixed broadband performance is below the global average, lower than Kazakhstan on a global ranking of internet speeds.
The Ookla Speed Test Global Index ranked Australia as 55th in the world for fixed broadband in December, with an average download speed of 25.88 Mbps.
Globally, the average download speed is 40.71 Mbps, pushing Australia behind countries including Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Russia.
Singapore had the fastest fixed broadband, with average downloads of 161.21 Mbps.
The National Broadband Network was spruiked by the Liberal and National Party Government as a “Superfast” internet service. Instead, the botched project risks becoming an example of government mismanagement.
Former adviser to the United Nations on the social and economic benefits of digital development Paul Budde said the Federal Government is to blame for our download speeds.
"We are really an example of how not to do it," he said.
"We have ended up with the worst possible solution."
Budde says the copper network has such a short life expectancy that the government will have to spend billions of dollars next decade upgrading the wires to fibre. Good money after bad, says the telecommunications consultant, who has worked for governments including the US and Australia during a four-decade career.
Anger with misinformation over speeds and service dropouts were common among the almost 200 public submissions to a 2017 parliamentary inquiry.
After publishing the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s 2016/17 Annual Report Ombudsman Judi Jones said people are frustrated they can’t rely on technology to stay connected, to be informed, and to do business.
“For the first time, complaints about internet services are now higher than complaints about mobile phones,” she said.
“Complaints about services delivered over the National Broadband Network more than doubled.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he is "keenly aware" of the pain and disappointment NBN installations are causing the public, but says the issues are not related to the network's technology.
"NBN Co has got to improve the installation experience. That's a people management, a process management issue,” Mr Turnbull told 3AW.
Craig Thomson
I am a media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcasts. I am currently the Editor of Australian Community Media's Launceston Examiner.
I am a media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcasts. I am currently the Editor of Australian Community Media's Launceston Examiner.
