Just .. not as fast as trains in some cases.
It’s amazing that I can move 1GB 100kM faster by rail then I could the internet.
Heck, it’d be quicker to deliver 2GB 100kM away, using a car then it would the internet, yet the internet would be the medium of choice to save on driving time, petrol costs, etc.
Labor however, in a recent article are quoted as saying broadband is as much important as rail.
I’m sort of convinced on that point, for my example described above.
How does big business decentralise if they can’t get stuff between offices at speeds that would be quicker than driving there? Naturally, it’s not a problem for Telstra who can setup a fat tax payer built fibre pipe wherever they see it fit, but that isn’t going to help industries expand out into regional areas and solve Sydney’s Housing Crisis.
You know something else I find amazing? All the petrol companies deliver petrol to the service stations using trucks, ie. They use more petrol to deliver petrol. Doesn’t seem very efficient for a delivery method, espiecially if those trucks are travelling hundreds of kilometers to deliver a few thousand liters of petrol, only to come back a few days later.
Wouldn’t it be more efficient to send those products by rail to the nearest regional area, and deliver what they need, and keep supplies in secure storage at many areas? Or they could of course have ran pipelines to the stations, but, that would probably have been extremely costly to build in the ground, and I imagine that others would try and break the pipe open for free juice.
That doesn’t seem to happen with gas pipelines tho, which probably would have given the idea a little more consideration, too late now though, with supplies of world oil apparently depleating and no certainty on future fuel. And add to that the consideration of air compressor powered cars, or even genetic modification which turns cells to produce oil. A few of those in a refining fuel tank and that spells “your broke” to many oil companies.
Back to broadband though, trains can carry more data, faster than our broadband connections. Probably is time for an upgrade, but not the ‘premium retail / wholesale price’ upgrade Telstra have planned. Probably better to look at wireless.
Enjoy!