Delimiter » Photo Galleries

Pristine Telstra network photos: We sourced our own

Renai LeMay — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:14:32 +0000

Following our publication of a photo gallery of “worst of the worst” photos of Telstra’s copper network, the telco declined our challenge to provide photos of pristine, well-maintained infrastructure. So, we sourced our own photos anyway.

The following photos were sent in by a number of readers over the past few weeks who wanted to show the other side of Telstra’s copper telecommunications network. It’s not all degradation and disaster out there, as these photos of well-maintained telephone exchanges show. Not much of it looks very ‘modern’, but it’s all functioning, clean, well-maintained equipment in good order. If you’ve got any more photos of well-maintained Telstra infrastructure, send the shots in to renai@delimiter.com.au and we’ll add them to this gallery.

In addition, you may remember this photo below from our ‘worst of the worst’ gallery. Well, following the publication of that gallery, Telstra sent its maintenance team out to this location and fixed this issue. So what we have here is a ‘before’ photo:

And this is the same location, after Telstra’s team cleaned it up. Not bad!

Image credit: Various

Worst of the worst: Photos of Australia’s copper network

Renai LeMay — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:06:53 +0000

photo gallery You don’t always have a perfect day. Some days, you just get out of bed on the wrong side of the bed, and things go wrong for you all day. Australia’s copper telecommunications network is like that. Most days it works OK, but on some days it’s just a shocker. And there’s a very good reason why — it’s old and in many areas it hasn’t been maintained very well.

These photos were sent in by Delimiter readers following our request over a week ago for some of the worst photos of the copper network in real life. What we’re seeking to do with this article is provide a realistic view into what the infrastructure which the nation relies on day in day out really looks like in some places, in the context of the current debate about upgrading it. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to send these photos in. It’s really appreciated. Also, if you have time, check out this thread on Whirlpool for further discussion of this issue.

The first photo is of a telecommunications pit outside a house in Sydney.

Now this is what we call a “temporary fix” situation.

On Playfield St, East Victoria Park, Western Australia. Another ‘temporary fix’.

Not quite sure where this came from, but it’s a doozy.

In this case, because of a “crushed duct”, a reader tells us, they have to share their phone/ADSL connection with their neighbour. This shot is from Adelaide, about 4KM from the nearest telephone exchange, and they get 300kbps downlink speeds, 60kbps up.

A noted local telecommunications expert from Adelaide sent these two gems in:

There’s a story behind this one. In the reader’s own words:

“Attached is a “brand new” installation (post bushfires) done by Telstra which despite being an opportunity for perfect wiring is not even wired into grounding. After 2 years of repeated requests to Telstra to fix it, this one exploded after a storm taking out most of the wiring in the brand new home built after the fires. The point here is that even with new wiring the quality of workmanship for copper to the home is being done to such poor standards and not even within legal parameters that we cannot depend on this approach any longer (grounding is a requirement for country because lightening strikes can pass thousands of volts through the equipment and cause not only damage but death. Certainly serious damage was done in this case).”

Truly a shocker.

In the reader’s own words:

“My phone line has been down for nearly a week now, due to this work three doors up from my house to repair a neighbour’s line that had water in it. Hers is now fixed but mine is down and went down when the tech was working in this pit.”

Wonderful.

Inside one of Telstra’s exchanges. Urgh.

A shot taken in Petersham, Sydney:

The first in a series of shots taken of a Telstra pit:

The following photos come from the site canofworms.org, where Whirlpool user Magilla Guerilla has collected a variety of similar photos of the copper network. He has graciously given us permission to re-publish the photos on Delimiter.

And last, but not least, this is the installation which provides the Delimiter office with the broadband needed to publish articles every day. That blue cable you see there is where we got a handyman to run a new cable from this point through the roof, as the old cable was completely corroded. Our phone line sometimes still has problems connecting. Such robust infrastructure, isn’t it?

One question I’d like to ask readers following the publication of this article: In your opinion, is this copper network suitable infrastructure for meeting Australia’s telecommunications needs over the next 20-30 years?

This is what a crate of Galaxy Nexus phones looks like

Renai LeMay — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:35:29 +0000

Vodafone has just published a photo gallery of a crate of Galaxy Nexus handsets arriving in its warehouse. That’s a lot of sweet Android goodness! Wouldn’t it be a shame if one of these crates fell off the back of the truck near Delimiter HQ >:)

Image credit: Vodafone

NBN Photos: Kiama’s big orange button

Renai LeMay — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:45:43 +0000

Did the Federal Government buy big “turn it on” buttons in bulk when it approved the National Broadband Network policy? It’s starting to look that way, judging by the amount of NBN launch events it has held over the past few years. Today’s big orange button comes from Kiama, where the NBN was officially switched on this morning.

Not the best photo of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. Alongside him are Mellissa Tierney (Australia Day Young Citizen Award Winner), Kiama Council mayor Sandra McCarthy and Treasurer and Deputy PM Wayne Swan.

Another action shot, with Conroy smiling this time:

The happy quartet:

Wah-Swah captured in action, no doubt espousing the economic benefits of universal broadband:

Err …. right. Is this Twister for senior citizens? NBN Co’s official caption about this photo reads:

“Local resident, Judy Spooner, demonstrating a new fall prevention application developed by NeuRA (Neuroscience Research Australia). The application uses a dance-mat and interactive screen to help the elderly with mobility. This is an example of a new model of healthcare that can be delivered over the National Broadband Network both to regional and metropolitan areas.”

And an action shot from behind:

Overall, quite bizarre.

Image credit: NBN Co

CeBIT 2011: Photo gallery

Renai LeMay — Tue, 31 May 2011 08:16:15 +0000

We wandered around CeBIT all of today, taking in the sights — and there were many of them. Dozens of companies, IT celebrities, and just some amazing products. CeBIT 2011 has it all.

Image credit: Delimiter

Brunswick NBN rollout: Photos

Renai LeMay — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:20:23 +0000

Whirlpool user and all-round nice guy Sambo9 recently publishing this stunning gallery of photos of the National Broadband Network rollout in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, and has kindly consented to let us post them on Delimiter as well. We consider this one of the best photo galleries we’ve seen of the actual NBN, as it goes into great detail about the actual NBN equipment, as well as the fibre being rolled out in the street and so on. Cheers Sambo9!

Geek bakers at NBN Co … we salute you

Renai LeMay — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:19:38 +0000

According to NBN Co’s Twitter account, the organisation is having a fundraiser today to raise money for DCH Animal Adoptions … complete with NBN cake. Yes, that is a cake in the shape of a network termination unit.

The original model can be seen here:

Image credits: NBN Co and Michael Wyres

Photos: Red Rock Oracle Leadership Forum 2011

Renai LeMay — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:56:47 +0000

These photos are from UXC subsidiary Red Rock’s recent Oracle Leadership Forum, which was held at Sydney’s Luna Park on March 17.

Image credit: Red Rock

Reverse disclosure: Red Rock has previously advertised the Leadership Forum on Delimiter, but this photo gallery was not part of that advertising contract — we just liked the pictures!

Photos: NBN Co network termination units

Renai LeMay — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:45:30 +0000

Regular Delimiter reader and all-round telco commentator Michael Wyres was at a NBN Co briefing this week and took these shots of the company’s internal and external network termination units, which will be installed in homes and businesses. Michael has kindly supplied us with the shots, but we recommend you visit his excellent blog for a fuller explanation of how everything works.

Image crdit: Michael Wyres

Photos: Fujitsu opens Perth datacentre with sake for all

Renai LeMay — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 01:24:54 +0000

IT services giant Fujitsu this week opened in Perth what it billed as the nation’s most advanced datacentre, signing up Commonwealth Bank subsidiary Bankwest as a key customer. The facility comprises 8000 square metres of tier three datacentre space, with three main general data halls and three smaller halls for companies requiring dedicated private suites.

To celebrate, the company went back to its Japanese roots, holding a traditional sake ceremony attended by visiting senior Fujitsu executive Kazuo Ishida, corporate senior executive vice president in charge of Fujitsu’s ICT services business; Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand chief executive Rod Vawdrey, Bankwest managing director Jon Sutton and Bankwest CIO Andy Weir.

Image credit: Tobey Black