Vodafone's 4G launch has reanimated industry chatter that superfast mobile data could make the Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) rollout redundant.
Could faster wireless internet supplant fibre laid under the UFB (which is, of course, part-funded by the taxpayer to the tune of $1.35 billion)?
In the short term, there's zero chance, thanks to Vodafone's 3G-level data plans, which are aimed at a modest 1GB to 2GB use a month.
But in the medium term, does 4G present a clear and present danger (a theory first put publicly forward by IDC senior telecommunications analyst Rosalie Nelson before she hoped the fence to Chorus).
I put the question to three industry figures.
Sydney-based telecommunications analyst Paul Budde told NBR ONLINE there was room for 4G and fibre - and, more, that the two were complementary.
"In our vast moving telecoms world we both need 4G for when are on the move and UFB when we are at home or at work. Furthermore 4G requires more and more base stations which all need to be connected to fibre in order for it to be able to deliver services to smart phones, tablets and WiFi units. So perhaps one of the biggest applications for UFB is 4B"
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Will 4G make the $1.35b UFB redundant? Three experts weigh in NO OPEN DON'T POST
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