It has been announced that the worlds largest computer manufacturer, HP, is to cut some 27,000 jobs, world wide.

Now this brings us to the NBN, as HP says it's main reason is from preasure they are under from the likes of mobile tables.

So, it is my understanding that the NBN is a land line based network.

If that's the case, is it wise to ignore the direction of the worlds largest 'fixed line' computer manufacturer and continue the roll out of out dated IT networks.

NBN $40 billion white elephant that we can add to the desal plant and the Collins Class subs.It just cannot be stupidity.There must be a lot of corruption involved.

Rechtub! I doubt even you understand that!
This firm is shedding its 27.000 international workers but its computers are not fixed line! how can you think that?
I blame the AUSTRALIAN CARBON TAX for it, the Ruddy leaves are falling off trees around here in fear of Carbon tax!
Next door neighbors dog is in pup!
Leave the carbon tax! its impacting on the world.
And NBN is putting the chooks off laying!

Rehctub, that is actually not quite the case. I gather that HP
employs something like 300'000, making everything from printers,
inks etc. So 27'000 is only a small part of their workforce.

Yes, mobiles for things like tablets and smartphones have increased
massively. But that just means a large increase in mobile, not that
landlines are going to vanish. If they tried to put all that landline
data on mobile, the whole system would crash due to lack of spectrum.

So we'll continue to need landline, the question is what
type, the old copper wires or something new.

Rechub,

Out here where I live in a rural area of Australia, we are all for the NBN. We lack lots of services that you in the city have, doctors and other health services, easy access to museums and other learning resources for education.

When we get broadband, these services will be available to us via computers and mobile devices. We will be able to talk to a specialist who lives in the city - virtually face to face. This type of consultation requires so much 'bandwidth' that it can't be done with the infrastructure we have now.

The NBN opens up the possibility for businesses that need to send lots of data - like photographers - to start up out here and we really need younger people to come back to the regional areas and start up businesses.

I send artwork to a Brisbane printer and it sometimes takes 12 hours to upload my files and I'm just an amateur. There are so many things that can be done with a broadband connection, that we can't do now.

The NBN is an investment in regional Australia and it will pay off in the future will a re-invigorated regional community.

No Rechub, the trend to tablets will have no effect on the NBN as it
is a wholesale network. The data from the tablet after it reaches the
radio base station then goes onto, either immediately or after a
microwave link, onto the NBN.
Certainly when the data packets get into the general internet it will
travel inside Australia on the NBN.

Many people are going to be bitterly disappointed when they get the NBN
as for most of us the limitation is not ADSL but the servers at the remote computer.

The airways can only hold so much. The NBN will be what AU needs right across AU.
At some stage wireless has to touch ground, The sooner the better.
Wireless has limitations, and mostly in remote au. If you are not connected to Telstra you get no service.
The NBN will make everyone equal no matter where you live.

Rechtub may have a point, we should not over look.
It was Queenslanders who first warned us about the curtains fading after the start of daylight saving.
And something is going on here,chooks are not laying.
I have five roosters out the back that have never laid an egg.

MB ...Out here where I live in a rural area of Australia, we are all for the NBN. We lack lots of services that you in the city have, doctors and other health services, easy access to museums and other learning resources for education.

You're right, however, that's why land is so cheap in comparison.

It's when those in the bush, pay a pittance for their homes (mining towns excluded) then want all the services, which causes many problems.

You can't have your cake and eat it. Or can you!

I own property in western QLD and also work there, so it will benefit me greatly, but I fail to see the need.

Belly, nice try.

As for DLS, or more so, why we don't want it, is because our state is so large.

Few realize that Cains is further west than Charliville.

Anyway, back to the topic.

I admit that I know little about it, hence my original post.

As usual, I will be the first to apologize, should the NBN be the huge success we are often told it will be.

Rechub I agree it seems greedy for me to want the taxpayer to spend that much giving me broadband but the way I see it, I have waited 10 years for it to happen via private enterprise and it didn't. The internet is not a lifestyle choice these days; it's not all about entertainment. It is essential for some jobs and it will open up the possibility for more types of businesses to set-up out here.

I think that it will be an investment in the future, like roads and the telegraph lines.

When there is broadband my oldest son and my daughter both Internet professionals who live in big cities will be able to set up a business out here. That is what we need to re-grow the regional areas; young people moving back and more small businesses.

Mollydukes, two holes I see in your theory.

1. Young ones dont want to live in the bush

2. Nor do they want to own a small business, unless of cause it's an Internet business, in which case, refer to 1.

I have an iPad with a telstra sim, it is great. Emails, Internet, downloads, no worries.

I don't know what else one needs.

I'm not privy to HP's internal decision making process but some time ago Oracle acquired Sun. As I understand it Oracle have changed pricing models for their database products which put running a database on an Sun server in a significantly better cost bracket than doing so on HP servers. They have also I think discontinued development for the HP Itanium platform.

If I was making purchasing decisions for large business investing in hardware which would be running oracle products there are some good reasons why HP could not be seen as a wise choice.

I don't know how much of HPs business was from database servers but it's pretty easy to imagine that a hit in that market combined with cut price competition for desktops, laptops, printers etc has got to be hurting them badly.

R0bert