now is different, page-9

Stracker, Telstra has been politically hammered and that has stuffed up the fundamentals IMO. But I think this could be over now and telstra still has a bright future for all the reasons mentioned previously on this forum. But now that the FTTN is not on the cards for telstra and the gov, the politics is all about the old copper network. But who gives a stuff about that! The future is with FTTN and FTTP.

I doubt the mobile phone will replace the broadband socket connection. Sooner rather than later broadband will become increasingly fibre, and will deliver your TV, movies, phone, internet, surveillance, etc. Optus has offered telstra $1b toward the FTTN network. Telstra's reply: "Go build your own and give us our free access to it!". Optus is now stuffed! Telstra owns the infrastructure, ie those pmg pits on the footpath with the tubes interconnecting them carrying the copper cables. So how easy is it for telstra to install FTTN and FTTP when they feel like it. Just a matter of threading up new fibre cables. Is Optus going to go back to nailing their cable to the power poles? I don’t think so. Telstra now has the big advantage where FTTN is concerned and Optus is going to have to pay to use it.

So it appears telstra has a business plan to recover its monopoly with home and business communications and the other telco's can only go begging cap in hand. Not the best thing for cheap high speed internet connections, but certainly good for the sp. Perhaps Sol Trujillo is not so bad for telstra afterall.