blog We couldn’t help but be perplexed by this blog post on The Punch by Liberal MP and Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services Kevin Andrews, which appears to imply that Australia doesn’t need the National Broadband Network, because of the strong adoption of mobile phones. Writes Andrews:

“Mobile phone services have grown rapidly over the last 10 years. At the same time fixed-line telephone services have stagnated. This growth in the take up of the mobile phone has coincided with a rise in the number of household consumers who do not access to a fixed-line telephone service. The choice of not having a fixed-line telephone service seems to be driven by age and living arrangements.”

What Andrews appears to not understand that well is that the NBN is not being rolled out because Australia needs better telephone services. The NBN is designed to upgrade the nation’s broadband infrastructure. Sure, the NBN will also be used for telephone services, but it would be drawing a very long bow indeed to suggest that’s what it will mainly be used for. Data, not voice, is the way of the future.

Image credit: G Schouten de Jel (photographer’s website), royalty free