Analyzing Network Requirements for Broadband Expansion in Australia

This report provides a network requirement analysis for broadband expansion in Australia, covering national infrastructure initiatives, the current status of the National Broadband Network (NBN), and the digital divide. It examines Australia's broadband plans, comparing them to other developed countries, and addresses the challenges of low internet access rates, particularly in rural areas. The report also highlights the benefits of high-speed broadband connections for education, entertainment, and various online services. It concludes that while Australia's broadband expansion faces challenges, ongoing government initiatives aim to improve access and speed, ultimately bridging the digital divide and enhancing the country's connectivity.

NETWORK REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS AND PROGRAM

Table of Contents
Executive Summary...............................................................................................................................2
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................3
Australia National Infrastructure Initiatives for Expansion of Broadband in Various Countries............4
Current Status of Australian NBP and Other Broadband Plans..............................................................5
The ‘Digital-Divide’ in Australia.............................................................................................................6
Countries with Lowest Internet and Broadband Access Rates..............................................................7
Benefits of high-speed broadband connections....................................................................................8
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................9
References...........................................................................................................................................10
1

Executive Summary
This report is about network requirement analysis and program including a brief introduction about
what is network requirement analysis, the national infrastructure initiatives taken by government of
various countries to improve broadband access rates, the current status of NBP and other
government plans of broadband expansion in Australia, digital divide in Australia, a brief discussion
about countries with lowest broadband access rates and benefits of high-speed broadband
connection in Australia [3].
2

Introduction
The requirements analysis consists of recognizing, collecting, and realizing the requirements of the
system and their characteristics, and developing thresholds for the performance to various services
which includes high performance, low performance, particular services, etc.
It helps in understanding the feasibility of the network being built.
 The objective of the broadband services in Australia.
 Knowledge of the choices of the network services and technologies
 The skill to apply the knowledge and technology to the network
 Formation of a network according to requirements and needs of the user [5]
3

Australia National Infrastructure Initiatives for Expansion of Broadband in
Various Countries
There is no one single definition of broadband in Australia however, broadband is generally
associated with and considered a synonym of high-speed internet connection. It can be delivered in
many ways by a no. of technologies like fiber optic cable, Wi-Fi, etc. The Australia national
infrastructure initiatives are the policies and initiatives led by the government in various countries
for expansion of broadband and improved internet access rates in the country. Talking about the
developed countries, countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, the U.K, etc. have introduced many
policies and included many measures to improve the internet access rates and the improvement can
also be seen in the recent years [5]. The access to the high-speed internet per capita, especially in
the rural areas, in these countries, has surely increased in the recent years. In the developing
country, Australia where the population is growing and technology is becoming affordable, the
demand for broadband services is increasing. The Australian government is also introducing
measures and policy to improve internet access rates. However, still, the rates are far low as
compared to developed nations due to various like lack of need, lack of money, lack of availability,
etc [4].
4

Current Status of Australian NBP and Other Broadband Plans
The current status National Broadband Network (NBN) and other broadband plans led by the
government in Australian are somewhat poor or not so good due to politics, poor technology, and
high costs. The world ranking of Australia when it comes to average broadband speeds is 50 th despite
being one of the richest countries in the world. This shows that the plans and policies of the
government are lacking behind. However, the government is taking the initiative to improve the
existing condition by introducing plans worth $41 billion in Australia broadband infrastructure & the
Australia National Digital budget and claims that drastic changes will be seen in the next 10 years.
FTTP would be connected as 20% of locations till 2020, and in future Australia will be
introduced the new scheme, while an additional 38% would be served with FTTN – that uses
the VDSL technology - and alternative 34% is received broadband services by present HFC
networks. Using the approaches of Broadband, the Australia government is anticipated with
91% of properties that connected with the fixed-line broadband infrastructure of Australia
would receive as 50Mb/s till 2020 [6].
5

The ‘Digital-Divide’ in Australia
The ‘digital divide’ in Australia can be seen and it remains unchanged despite the huge investments
being made in the Australian National Broadband Network. There are 2.6 million people in Australia
who do not use internet according to a report. Some of the factors responsible for this are:
 Age- The statistics show that the old people show less interest in internet use that the young
lot.
 Income- Income is an important factor because the cost internet connection is high and it is
likely that many people cannot afford it.
 Education- Many people are not educated enough to use the internet or lack knowledge of
how to use it.
 Geography- Some of the parts of the country still lack access to the broadband connection
[3].
6

Countries with Lowest Internet and Broadband Access Rates
According to research conducted by Google, the countries with lowest internet access rates are
mainly countries in Africa like Ghana, Uganda, Eritrea, etc. and countries in Africa like North Korea,
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Philippines, etc. Eritrea, a dictator ruled the country in the continent of
Africa has the lowest internet access rate in the world with 91% of its resident’s not using the
internet at all [4].
To improve the condition of these countries steps have been taken by organizations like Google.
Recently, Google announced to introduce Google Link- fiber optic cables to improve the internet
access rates and internet speed in African countries like Ghana and Uganda [5].
7

Benefits of high-speed broadband connections
 General Benefits- The biggest benefit of high-speed Australia broadband connection is to send
and receive data quickly. This helps in decreasing wastage of time that generally cause
irritation and dissatisfaction.
 Education- It gives huge benefit and help to students at the university and school level in their
education. The students are able to learn new things, clear their doubts and search whatever
they need [2].
 Entertainment- These days’ people are more like to use the internet to watch movies and
serials and listen to music and high speed helps them to watch their favorite movies without
any hindrance in terms of buffering.
 Other benefits- The other benefits include online shopping, banking, paying bills and other
advantages like applying for various forms and also applying for a passport [1].
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Conclusion
 The requirements analysis consists of recognizing, collecting, and realizing the requirements of
the system and their characteristics.
 The governments of various developing and non-developing countries are introducing plans
and policies to improve broadband access rates for the residents of these countries.
 The currents status of NBP and other policies in Australia for the expansion of broadband
services is poor but is likely to improve in future with the introduction of new and enhanced
policies and plans by the government [3].
 The digital- divide exists in Australia exists due to factors like education, income, geography,
etc.
 There are a lot of benefits of high broadband connections.
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References
[1] "NBN to be 10 times faster - Stephen Conroy". News.com.au.2010. [Cited 1 March 2017].
[2] Egan, Michael, "A separate company for a broadband network," The Age. Melbourne, 7
September 2008.
[3] Fitzsimmons, Caitlin. "Abbott, Turnbull detail Coalition's 25Mbps broadband plan". Financial
Review, 2013. [Cited 1 March 2017].
[4] Hutchinson, James, "Bandwidth demand to reach 1Gbps by 2020: NBN Co CEO".
Computerworld, 2010.
[5] McDonald, Stephanie. "In his own words: Tony Abbott on the NBN," Computerworld, 2013.
[Cited 1 March 2017].
[6] Sorell, Matthew. "Senate hearing circus shows politics has no place in NBN". The Conversation,
2013. [Cited 4 March 2017].
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