[clug] broadband ISPs in Canberra
Martin Pool
mbp at sourcefrog.net
Sat Sep 25 00:06:16 GMT 2004
On 25/09/2004, at 9:51 AM, Simon Haddon wrote:
>> On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:52:02 +1000 Martin Pool <mbp at sourcefrog.net>
>> wrote:
>>> (For example: why don't Transact use VoIP to do free national and
>>> cheap international calls? I would have thought it'd be technically
>>> feasible, and it would be at least a small differentiator from
>>> regular
>>> telcos. But no.)
>>
>> Because their telephony wants to be *much* more reliable than the
>> other
>> bits of their network ...
OK, so it's too hard.
But the net result is that they have a service which is more complex
and expensive than ADSL, while offering few useful added features...
It's not for me to solve it; I'm just disappointed that they seem to
have squandered their opportunity (and I'm still paying for it.)
> 3. Pure telephony line is more reliable and there are large legal
> issues
> at stake. ie: I know if an ISP that can offer VoIP but only as
> a second phone due to legal issues about being a home primary line
> and offering a reliable service.
And yet I'm allowed to have only VoIP at home if I set it up myself.
(Or is that illegal, I wonder?)
There are now VoIP handsets, so it's not only nerdy gannets who might
want to do it. I'm also allowed to have a mobile, or no phone at all.
I wonder how this will play out? At the moment it looks like there
will be some regulated and highly-reliable traditional telcos, which
will increasingly be ignored by people using cheap but somewhat flaky
IP services.
--
Martin
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