George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I refer the minister to her claim that under her broadband network:

You’ll be able to take your laptop out to the shed and you’ll be able to get on with business in the global economy ...

Can the minister confirm that the technology standard used by her second-rate service is not compatible with the existing chipsets in laptops? Doesn’t that mean that taking your laptop out to the shed, or anywhere else for that matter, to do business with the global economy will simply not be possible? Isn’t this another example, Minister, of you misrepresenting the technology’s capacity and providing second-rate services for rural and regional Australians?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to that is no. The chipsets will be available, I think, at the end of 2008. They will be manufactured by Intel. The claims that have been made about this particular technology are not correct. I particularly note that Austar has now selected Nortel as the preferred vendor for deployment of a WiMAX network. It clearly demonstrates that WiMAX is an appropriate technology for Australia. The class licence spectrum band is being utilised by the majority of wireless broadband providers in regional areas and is capable of supporting the high-quality services which OPEL will be implementing, including a 12-megabit speed.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Up to 12 megabits.

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, 12 megabits, Senator Conroy. ACMA is aware of the complexities of operating different devices on a class licence spectrum. The issue is being addressed in a comprehensive spectrum management plan. It was consulted prior to the selection of OPEL as the preferred bidder. It was confirmed that the OPEL approach was sound and technologically deliverable. ACMA advises that interference is a minimal issue at best in rural areas where OPEL will be using it, because there are fewer operators. Those of us who listened to this debate over the last week will know that this government will be using a mix of technologies in this new network. The wireless network will be deployed appropriately in rural and regional areas.

ACMA is currently examining other potential bands that may be made available for wireless access services, including the possibility of spectrum and the adjacent spectrum bands. As a general point, WiMAX manufacturers state that their equipment fully addresses any problems of spectrum interference on a class licence spectrum. I am very glad that Senator George Campbell has given me an opportunity once again to showcase this government’s broadband initiative.

I have a note here from somebody whom I do not think I have actually met; Mr Ondarchie calls himself a ‘telecommunications industry veteran’. He is Chairman and CEO of Clever Communications Australia. I thought what he said was very interesting and I should put it on record. He said:

Kevin Rudd—

and you can interpolate that, Senator Conroy, and everyone else over on that side—

has publicly made a number of statements on wireless technology that have been reported in the media, including comments that wireless technologies are second-rate and have a maximum distance of 20 kilometres. Both of these statements are untrue. It is a shame to see a political leader making such an uneducated and misleading comment regarding wireless technology. By dismissing wireless technology, he is robbing Australians in rural and regional areas of a genuine alternative technology with the potential to deliver rapid access to high speed broadband services.

I say to the Labor Party, who have not released one single detail about their fraud plan: here is your test. Put up or shut up; show us some technical detail, or else you are not qualified to comment.

George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to the minister’s inaccurately titled ‘WiMAX fact sheet’ in which she claims that the government’s network will be compatible with PCs, cameras, personal music devices and PDAs. Why doesn’t the minister confirm that in fact the opposite is true and that the technology used by her second-rate service is not compatible with these items, and, further, that people will need to pay $300 to buy the necessary adaptor or, alternatively, a new laptop?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy and Senator Campbell really need to go and do a bit of work experience on some of this; they need to go and have a look at the technology. I stand by my claims.