Broadband simply refers to the ability to transmit and receive a higher amount of data or information than a dialup Internet connection. It comes in several different 'flavours' and much like an irrigation system, the wider the bandwidth or ‘pipe’, the more data can be transferred. Bandwidth speeds are expressed in kilobytes per second (kbps); the higher the speed, the wider the bore of the ‘pipe’. True Broadband comes is generally considered to start at 512 kbps, which is about 20 times faster than the average dialup speed of 28 kbps.

ADSL Broadband is a technology that uses the copper wire telephone infrastructure to deliver Broadband. However, it has limitations as the signal will only travel up to 4.5 km. That‘s fine in an urban region with high density population, but in a rural region, many people live too far from the ADSL enabled exchange to access the service.

But there are alternative solutions - in the case of Broadband, it is simply a case of looking up at the sky.

Wireless Broadband uses radio waves to connect a wireless transceiver on your premises with a wireless Broadband transceiver that provides the local service coverage. This is usually located on a high point such as a mountain. It is a very flexible technology that is ideally suited to a rural environment, but it is affected by distance and also geographical features such as mountains, buildings, lakes and trees.

Flexibility is one of the big advantages of wireless Broadband and it is often used in emergency situations where there has been damage to the telecommunications infrastructure to provide an alternative communications system

Soujth-East Queensland company Cirrus operate a fixed wireless Broadband service within an 18 km radius of Lowood from $39.95 per month. Rather unfairly in my opinion, a Federal Government subsidy is not currently available for this service, so initial equipment and installation costs are high. However, there is a Lowood Special plan available exclusively through Paul Computers that spreads the cost over 36 month contract, rather like a mobile phone plan

Telstra operates a wireless Broadband service under the trademark ‘Next G Broadband’. This service is a quality Broadband product, but it is significantly more expensive. The service covers “99% of the population of Australia”, but since much of the population live in cities or around the coastal fringes, coverage is may not be quite as comprehensive as it sounds.

A relocatable (desktop) modem or mobile (laptop) modem costs $299. Bigpond has a current promotion offering a rebate of $299 for the cost of the modem. Relocatable plans are available from $39.95/month, but the 200 Mb download allowance is inadequate for even the most frugal Internet users.

Contrary to recent, irresponsible media reports, wireless Broadband is completely secure – sufficiently secure that it is often used by the military and emergency services out in the field. There can be a problem with wireless home or office networks if the security features are not activated – this is a user problem, not a problem with wireless technology.

And finally, two-way satellite is a now an excellent and very affordable solution for anyone who is unable to access other forms of Broadband.

The new, ultra high tech IPSTAR Broadband satellite has revolutionized the market by providing two-way satellite Broadband at ADSL prices. The biggest commercial satellite ever launched, it is capable of connecting up to 8 million customers at speeds of 2048 kbps. It uses a system of high intensity spot beams and ground stations to deliver a high quality Broadband service, even in adverse weather conditions.

Westnet currently offer 512/256 kbps plans from $39.95/month with a genuine $0 installation. However, two-way satellite Broadband equipment is more expensive, so the customer must qualify for the ‘Broadband Guarantee’ (ABG) subsidy of $2750 to qualify for $0 installation.

Qualification is based on the availability of other forms of Broadband, regardless of location and the subsidy is only available through and ABG approved provider..

There are other forms of Broadband such as Ethernet cable, Fibre-optic cable and Broadband over power lines, but none of these are likely to be available in our region in the very near future.

In addition, the previous Federal Government invested nearly $1 billion in an Optus/Elders project known as OPEL. It is claimed this will deliver deliver Broadband speeds up to 12 Mbps to our region in the next two years using a combination of fibre-optic cable to provide backhaul to the Internet plus WiMax wireless Broadband to deliver last mile connectivity to homes and businesses.

And finally a word of warning about the reliability of the different forms of Broadband. The Internet and the various different options for delivering the service to your premises are highly complex systems and therefore prone to a degree of unreliability. The speed of ADSL is dependant on the quality of the phone lines, wireless Broadband towers can get struck by lightning, fibre optic lines can get cut accidentally, satellite Broadband can suffer a software glitch, all can suffer from excessive traffic or bottlenecks in other parts of the Internet. If your business is dependant on the Internet as a means of communication, it pays to have a backup system, even if it is just a cheap $9.95 dialup account. Next G Broadband also provides a viable backup option.

Paul Heymans is a rural Broadband advocate. Please feel welcome to contact him on 07-5427 0132 or email him for free advice if you have experienced any problems accessing Broadband services in your region.

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