Im not a telecoms expert and have no idea if that is correct about glass in fibre when not buried underground breaking down. But it does make sense particularly when you put it in context of its lifespan (25 years). How many appliances do you have in your house that last 25 years these days? Tolerances in fibre are so low that a small fault will stop it functioning, and I think that the telstra guys comment makes sense. I am sure there are workarounds like installing repeaters or amplifiers on sections of a cable network but its more amount demonstrating that the system is not going to be a national instructure asset (like a road or a railway) and is likely to be superceded by new technology quickly.
I am more interested in the fact that 4G wireless matches the speed of fibre and is obviously going to be a fraction of the cost.
Overall the NBN debate in my view is utter nonsense and is being used for political purpose ignoring its likely uselessness in 5-10 years.
