subject: Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) - How will it benefit Australians [print this page] Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) - How will it benefit Australians
There is no disputing that the Internet is now a phenomenon that is weaved into just about every facet of life today. You can buy anything from groceries to furniture for the house online. You can get medical advice and even file your taxes online.
However, even though there is a growing list of things that can be done through the Internet, just having any old Internet connection is simply not enough. Having a fast connection makes a huge difference in how you are able to make use of the web. This is the main reason for the Australian government stepping up and embarking on the National Broadband Network.
For a cost of $43 billion (split between Government and private funding), the Australian government is following in the footsteps of Finland, who just recently made sure that access to broadband Internet was a basic right for all. The NBN is said to revolutionize the daily life of Australians by making sure that 90% of all homes in Australia will have a minimum Internet speed of 100 Mbps. This is will be 100 times faster that what the majority of Australians are used to for Internet speed. For the remaining 10% of homes and institutions will get their Internet through satellite and wireless technology. This will provide them with an Internet speed of 12 Mbps.
This is nice, but just how is the National Broadband Network going to translate this into tangible benefits for Australians? Just the sheer size of this project will create many more jobs. This is an eight year rollout, which is said to support about 25,000 jobs every year. Job creation along with the ability to better and more efficiency of handling business through the web are the tangible benefits.
The Internet is going to open up many more global business opportunities for the entrepreneurs out there. Also, businesses will simply be able to conduct business much faster. Filing BAS, tending to an online bank account, using VoIP or trading stocks will become much easier. Video conferencing will run much smoother than before the National Broadband Network came into the picture.
Educational institutions are going to find that interconnection is going to be much easier. The high speed broadband Internet is going to make interactive learning an easier thing to accomplish. Now, students can live in one corner of the country and attend a class that is thousands of miles away. The students will have the ability to engage more personally with fellow students and the lecturers will be able to get their message out more.
Now, with the help of the National Broadband Network, you will find that doctors appointments will not always be needed. This is because world class healthcare services will be able to be brought right into many Australian homes. Patient monitoring, tele-psychiatry and tele-radiology will run much easier. Patient data will be securely transmitted.
Australians in some of the most rural parts will be able to enjoy and experience the services that they would have only otherwise received if they were in the big cities.
Also, it is said that thanks to the National Broadband Network, the quality of family life will be increased. This is because students that had to travel a long distance for school will be able to keep an intimate relationship with their families back home. Sharing high definition videos or high resolution photos will no longer be a problem.
Institutions are finding that there are many different ways that the broadband can be put to good use. The University of Melbourne established the Institute for the Broadband Enabled Society which is to create Internet applications for healthcare, e-commerce and educational uses. So far, the institute has attracted the attention of major world technology companies such as Cisco, Ericsson, NEC and Microsoft.
