Australia 'test bed' for broadband

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The United Nations official overseeing telecommunications has given the national broadband network project a tick of approval. Australia's unique market conditions, geography and low population make the project viable but few other countries are likely to copy the publicly funded monopoly model. The secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union, Dr Hamadoun Toure, met BusinessDay during a two-day fact finding trip to Australia. He said a minimum speed broadband network will increase economic capacity and creativity. ''The way I see it here, Australia has undertaken the largest infrastructure project ever,'' he said. ''Three to five years from now, Australia will be No. 1 in broadband in the world. A large size country like this can be a test bed for any scenario that could happen anywhere else in the world and I can take that model to share anywhere else in the world.''


Australia 'test bed' for broadband