Pave the way for better internet service, says expert
That is the view of Carlos Dominguez, technology evangelist and incidental adviser to global leaders. In Melbourne last week for Cisco Live 2013, Mr Dominguez, senior vice-president at Cisco, said that given the transformative potential of the internet for prosperity, education and health, it was "absolutely critical" for developed countries to drive faster infrastructure development.
"John [Chambers, Cisco chief executive] and I have met with presidents from every country. Fifteen years ago, we had to convince people there was a link between the internet and productivity growth - at that point it wasn't clear. It's not like that any more," he said.
"The internet is giving equality in education and healthcare in ways we've never seen before."
While he said he was "not smart enough" to comment on Australia's national broadband network and government policies, Mr Dominguez said the internet was changing economic status.
"If you don't have access to it, you are at a major disadvantage. In many ways, the delta between the have and the have-nots is bigger - because of what you can do when you have the internet."
He said governments could always play a role in stimulating the competitive environment to drive commercial deployment but in some cases it was necessary to do more.
"If I was in charge, I'd drive it, it's good for the country ... I'd be trying to drive as much infrastructure as possible, both on the wired side and the mobile side."
He said rapid developments in consumer technology, hardware and software meant demand for services was running ahead of what the infrastructure could deliver.
"Imagine having a Ferrari and having to drive on a dirt road - you really don't realise the potential."
He said the argument over the methods used for the rollout - fibre-to-the-premise versus fibre-to-the-node plus copper and/or wireless, satellite - was almost immaterial. "The secret here is trying to architect how to get the right outcome. For the infrastructure, what I would say [is] whatever it takes to make it happen should be a priority."
The deployment of Australia's NBN is at a crossroads, with the government-backed NBN Co pushing ahead with the rollout of a $37.4 billion network that promises fibre to 97 per cent of premises.
Should the opposition win the coming federal election, however, there might be a rethink using existing copper and other technologies.
Telsyte research director Foad Fadaghi said while Cisco could clearly articulate a vision of the internet future, as an organisation it provided a few pieces of the puzzle, not all of them. He said: "The challenge for Cisco is to provide more than just the switches and routers and become a more integrated organisation to facilitate their vision."
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Cisco senior vice-president Carlos Dominguez said the internet is a human right and governments should help stimulate rollout to every corner of the world. He argued developed countries should drive faster infrastructure development because broad internet access delivers big benefits for prosperity, education and health.
The article quotes Cisco’s Carlos Dominguez saying the internet gives equality in education and healthcare in ways never seen before and that lacking access puts people at a major disadvantage, widening the gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots.'
Dominguez described the FTTP versus FTTN/wireless/satellite debate as almost immaterial, saying the priority should be architecting the right outcome and doing whatever it takes to make the necessary infrastructure happen, whether wired or mobile.
The article states Australia’s government-backed NBN Co is rolling out a $37.4 billion network that promises fibre to 97% of premises. It also notes a potential political change could lead to a rethink using existing copper and other technologies.
Dominguez warned that rapid advances in consumer hardware and software mean demand is outpacing what infrastructure can deliver. He used the metaphor: it’s like owning a Ferrari but having to drive on a dirt road — you don’t realise the potential without better roads.
Foad Fadaghi said Cisco can clearly articulate a vision of the internet future but, as an organisation, it provides only some pieces of the puzzle. The challenge is to offer more than switches and routers and become a more integrated company to facilitate that vision.
The article says governments can play a role in stimulating a competitive environment to drive commercial deployment and, where needed, take stronger action to push infrastructure build‑out on both the wired and mobile sides to deliver national benefits.
The article suggests everyday investors note that government policy, major infrastructure decisions (FTTP vs alternatives) and technology vendors’ ability to integrate solutions are central to how the internet rollout unfolds. It doesn’t provide investment advice, but highlights areas—policy, infrastructure choices and vendor capabilities—that can affect industry direction.
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