[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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