Telstra has admitted misleading a Senate Committee over its use of line-splitting technology which prevents hundreds of thousands of Australians from accessing a high speed internet service.
In August 7, Telstra gave misleading evidence to a Senate Committee in response to a direct question I asked, claiming that it was no longer deploying inferior line-splitting technology known as “RIMs” that prevents customers from receiving broadband services.
When I asked “why are RIMs still being installed, given they create all of these additional problems?” Telstra’s replied:
“The short answer to your question about the RIMs is that we are actually no longer deploying RIMs. We have stopped that.”
However, Telstra has admitted misleading the Senate Committee, offering a clarification to the Committee, in a recent letter which states:
“When we appeared to give evidence to the Australian Telecommunications Network (ATN) Inquiry in Melbourne on 7 August 2003, we indicated that Telstra was no longer deploying RIM devices in the network … It has now come to our attention that in fact there are still a very small number of RIM devices being deployed in our network.”
RIM systems are responsible for over 900,000 Australian telephone services from being unable to access affordable high-speed internet known as “broadband”.
If there is a RIM between a residence and the telephone exchange then affordable broadband is not an option.
Telstra’s behaviour shows how far the Howard Government is from future-proofing the network. It will only get worse if Telstra is privatised.
A copy of Telstra’s “clarification” can be obtained from my office.
Media contact: Jason Ives – (02) 6277 3334
