Future of broadband is mobile

Mobile broadband speeds will win the race against fibre optic cables, according to the international GSM Association. Director of technology Dan Warren says mobile broadband will hit 100 megabits per second (Mbps) in about two years.

The declaration may affect the tender for Australia’s new national broadband network. The current ask is delivery of 12 Mbps to 98 percent of the country via a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network. Telstra’s NextG network currently has the capability to operate at 14.4 Mbps, but handsets and modems currently on the market operate at just half that speed.
 
This means that any FTTN network will probably not be the monopoly most thought it would be, if a rival telco can set up a competitive wireless network.
 
The GSM Association represents more than 700 3G mobile phone operators globally.