Telecommunications.

[Jack Williams]

Meanwhile, radio comes to toytown.

[skirted_in_SF]

Are they putting in fiber (or fibre depending on your version of English )?

[crfriend]

Well, I'd hazard that "ultrafast" means something likely "faster" than copper, but copper has substantial benefits that glass does not.

I do have to comment on the appallingly bad fashion sense of the two human(oid)s in frame -- absolutely, completely, and utterly pathetic. I could remark on it further, but it might involve "strong language".

Jack -- Do you have turtles in your neighbourhood, or is that the international symbol for "speed bump" (aka "suspension-wrecker")?

[john62]

Of course it is a symbol for a speed decreaser, don't you guys in the US of A have these very annoying objects implanted in your roads?

John

[Jack Williams]

Yes they are installing fibre-optic cable.
We get good enough broadband over the copper for me to watch videos without pause, so I'm not sure of any advantage to me, but business can get a lot more data along it I guess.
And yes, the young courting couple are in the top current fashion in their age group in New Zealand!
..well for their particular ethnicity anyway.

[Jack Williams]

What about this one Carl?

[couyalair]

A few years ago in Grenoble, we were given fibre for free (installation) plus a combined contract for phone, tv & internet for less than we'd been paying for satellite tv alone. Fine, except that when anything breaks down you can't phone anyone to complain -- the old line was disconnected, so you have to pay for an expensive mobile to contact the telecom people. The connecting boxes that we try to hide under the furniture are always going wrong, and the tv picture freezes regularly (usually in the exciting bit of a film).
The only advantage of glass over copper that I can see is that no-one is likely to try to steal the fragile fibre to sell on the black market. Copper cables have been disappearing frequently, it appears, especially when above ground such as along railway tracks.
Progress.
There are not too many speed bumps in Grenoble, but in Torremolinos there are nearly enough to make me leave my cycle at home.

Martin

[Jack Williams]

Not sure if it will be compulsary to use the fibre-optic service. Me videos flow perfectly well on the existing service. The fibre is bound to inflate the bill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnwJWOLWBls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn6PiFwR1ZI&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Natdo_mxcJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBI5lGlkM4o

[crfriend]

Of course it is a symbol for a speed decreaser, don't you guys in the US of A have these very annoying objects implanted in your roads?

Of course we do, but fortunately they are usually confined to parking-lots and the like. I know guys who have had their vehicles damaged by the dratted things, and I've "scraped bottom" a couple of times on them. I believe they should be banned by law or the owners of the properties on which they are installed be held accountable for damage done by them.

[crfriend]

What about this one Carl?

Charming, Jack, just charming. I'd rather prefer to believe that the above examples of "humanity" are not representative of the average Kiwi.

[john62]

To go to my local Café for a coffee I have to go over four bluestone ones in less than one kilometre, go over them too fast or too slow and everything rattles.

John

[Jack Williams]

Those above are actually from a small minority group, maybe 12% of the population.
Some average Kiwis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkhzlQMmkqw

[Jack Williams]

With the broadband we have at present those videos run perfectly well unless perhaps at peak time when there is a lot of "traffic" happening; but to upload, say, a three minute video takes about three hours. Perhaps the "ultrafast" may speed up the uploading, but this is something I'm not sure of. Does anyone know anything about this?

[Sarongman]

We are having a political bunfight over the rollout of "superfast" broadband, here in Australia, though it will never pass anywhere near this neck of the woods, where I get by on the wireless 4G system. This is a bit of a pain, as we are right on the edge of the mobile phone range and I am working on only two bands, and this at one window facing west, and the phone towers, It would be all five in the town area. The new Gov't is saying the existing ( often decaying) copper network will suffice, however I'm not so sure.

[Jack Williams]

How does "superfast" compare with "ultrafast"?!
And yes, there is a bit of political bunfighting here too about that. The company in the photo there, "Chorus" is a spinoff of the old goverment owned Telecom. Supposed to all be "privatised" these days, but the "competition" doesn't seem to get much of a look in!