We have a 100+ year old copper landline network in Oz that is going to be almost totally replaced by a FO network within a few years.
The copper network is incapable of handling the huge speeds needed today and in the future, and it's getting pretty aged in many areas.
The cost of the new FO line is proving to be a bit of headache, with AU$40B quoted initially, but it's likely to be more.
The new conservative govt is going for a much-detested scaled down FO system, of fibre-to-the-node (rather than fibre-to-the-home).
This system is not going to provide the full benefit of FO and it means the users will be picking up the cost of installing FO from the node to their premises.
95% of Oz is highly suitable for a landline network, with lots of flat ground. IMHO, I believe it's pretty important to have a landline network - because the landline is more secure, and because wireless networks are prone to signal decay under a number of circumstances.
We have quite an array of wireless transmission in place already - satellite, microwave and the mobile networks.
However, the amount of transmission errors and transmission breakdown in the mobile phone network makes me leery of any communication system that is totally wireless.
The big microwave dishes that handle a lot of interstate transmissions, used to have their components in the centre of the dish attacked by big parrots (galahs), chewing them up.
The damage the birds did was incredible and it took quite a while to find galah-proof components. Of course, the MW system would often go down due to "bird strike".
