Broadband catch-up a global market imperative

For those who want to see the future, imagine this – a video clip of you talking about your products at a speed 3000 times faster than what you have now. Or how about holding a global meeting and talking to customers on a life-sized screen where there is no flicker, no echo and no delay.

Today one of the US’s leading technology experts, Larry Smarr, will launch a super quick broadband link between his university in California and Melbourne University to highlight the shortcomings of Australia’s current broadband system.

The quality and speed of Australia’s broadband is below that of many other countries, according to Professor Smarr, one of the original architects of the internet.

Smarr, who runs the California University for Telecommunications and Information Technology, told ABC’s AM this morning that because the internet has created the flat world any job can be competed for by people throughout the world connected by the internet.

“If your internet to your people to your small businesses is not as fast as competitors in Korea, Singapore, the US, Europe; you are putting all of those Australians at a disadvantage,” he says.

The Australian Government has promised to spend almost $5 billion over the next five years making the internet speed almost 40 times faster. But that will still significantly lag behind other nations.