Sponsor's Message

Here's a definite 8 out of 10 link. Try out the Realistic Internet Simulator and marvel at just how realistic it really is.

Now this site seems to load quite slowly but, if you're looking for a new twist on the old digital clock concept then take a look.

It will soon be Christmas so brace yourself for endless images of the guy in the red-coat and innumerable attempts by retailers to part you from your cash. Now few people actually realise how, following the events of September 11 last year, Santa had to significantly change his Christmas Eve routine. The details are here.

If you're easily offended by potty-mouths then give this link a skip, otherwise check out Opera Baby

And of course, i the wake of their recent notoriety over the pending US invasion of Kiribati, the week wouldn't be complete without a mention of NZ's now infamous satire site spinner.co.nz.

Readers Say (updated irregularly) ITelecom/Rural Customers... - Mark Telecom level of service... - Arthur Rural connections... - Anon Telecom profiteering... - Sarah From Yesterday... cost of phone... - Ian Telecom services to... - Chris Have Your Say

The Telecom Alternative
My comments in yesterday's column brought a mass of "not for publication" comments from readers, many of who said "you must be crazy".

Perhaps they were so outraged that I'd support Telecom's decision to charge big bucks for rural phone installations that they didn't read right to the end.

I'm not suggesting that rural users should be happy to fork out huge sums of cash just to get a sub-standard phoneline that offers a mere 9600bps or 14.4Kbps when used for Net access. No, my point was that if I (or anyone) is going to have to pay *thousands* to get a phone line, then it had better be "perfect" in every way -- and that means providing the same levels of speed and reliability that city-folks get, including access to DSL services.

Telecom can't have it both ways, if they want to charge a the full price then they also need to provide the full service and not come up with all manner of verbiage about electric fences, insufficient demand for a DSL node, etc.

Of course every cloud has a silver lining and I certainly hope that there are now more than a handful of companies who are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of being able to capture the rural voice/IP marketplace.

Unfortunately it may not be that easy.

Despite the fact that the government is bitching about Telecom's price-hikes, I strongly suspect that anyone wanting to go head-to-head and capture that rural market will face all manner of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles.

Want to go wireless? Will you need expensive and complex resource management consent to erect a tower?

Want to lay a cable? Will you need to honour The Treaty and appease the local Iwi when your cables run within a few Kms of a mythical beast?

It strikes me that instead of just whining at Telecom's announcements, the government ought to be removing the stupid road-blocks that might otherwise restrict the entry of competitors.

Will we now see more activity in the IP-reticulation area from power-line companies who already cover virtually all of rural NZ?

And whatever happened to IndraNet, a company whose product was surely well suited to building IP Networks in difficult areas?

Maybe it's even time for a new rural cooperative?

If you want to have your say on the contents of today's column then please do so. Only comments marked "For Publication" will (if I have time) be published in the readers' comments section.

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