Anyway, since everyone likes to rant about internet
I turned off my internet this week to upgrade to ADSL2+ with another provider. Only to find out my phone line is shared -- called "Pair Gain" or something stupid like that.
I live in a fairly new Estate. Our biggest telecoms provider, who owns 99% of the infrastructure once government owned but now in the private sector continues to split phone lines in new developments! What the hell!?!? They know it's not future proof, and the cram upto 24 "phone lines" down one copper line (that would normally be a single line).
It's pathetic, and there's all this talk of upgrading the trans-Atlantic cables, blah, blah, blah. When 1 million people (about 5% of Australia) live in ADSL areas but are unable to get ADSL!?!? It makes no sense. And where this "RIM" devices have no more slots, you have to buy IDSN or dial-up at almost $200AUD a month for IDSN.
My Dad's a site manager in construction, and he said installing "RIM" lines and so forth is insisted upon by the phone company / higher ups.
The funny thing is, I can get ADSL2+ but I have to go with the evil ISP who is responsible for the phone lines (they charge outrageous prices for terrible plans). They also don't wholesale ADSL2+ to other ISPs in cases such as this... pathetic!
/rant over
Is Australia the only country that does things like this? They continue to install non-future proof phone and internet lines. But the exchanges are being upgraded -- it doesn't make a difference if people can't bloody get a line to them.