TELSTRA RESONSE TO MY COMPLAINT THROUGH MAL WASHER"S OFFICE
Dear Gloria (Mal Washer's PA) First, may I apologise for the delay in responding to Dr Washer's inquiry of 9 August 2004 about Mr Moore's service. I have attempted to contact Mr Moore to advise that if he now applies for ADSL with his preferred Internet Service Provider, his application should be successful. As background, it appears a common perception exists that Australian consumers cannot access broadband unless they can access higher-speed Internet via Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology. Due to distance and technical limitations, ADSL will never be universally available, either in Australia or any other country. However, an inability to access ADSL does not mean an inability to access broadband. Telstra's other broadband products, available to both retail and wholesale customers, are: * Hybrid fibre/coaxial (HFC) cable - high-speed Internet access delivered via a cable modem; * 1-Way satellite - allows customers to download from the Internet at high speeds via satellite using their standard telephone service as the 'uplink'; * 2-Way satellite - a service providing both uplink and downlink via satellite, avoiding the requirement for dial-up connection via a phone line; and * BigPond Regional Connect - a product that bundles 1-Way satellite, BigPond dial-up and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) services to provide an attractive broadband alternative in areas where ADSL is not available. Further to the above, Telstra is currently rolling out 1x technology to provide highspeed internet at speeds up to 144kbs over the CDMA mobile network. Also, we have committed $50 million for the rollout of 3G EVDO (Evolution Data Optimised) on our CDMA network, which will provide customers in major cities and selected regional centres with mobile high-speed data at between 300 and 500 kbps per second. Telstra's own vision for the company's online future is built around a platform designed to enable customers to access content on "any device, anywhere, any time". Again, I apologise for the delay in responding to Dr Washer, and I trust the above will assist him in responding to Mr Moore Andrew Gaspar Senior Corporate Affairs Adviser, WA * Phone: (08) 9491 8805 * Mobile: 0408 905 113 * Fax: (08) 9214 9146 * e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
