Australia is way out of the loop with broadband

Dr Sam Paltridge of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development asked me in his Paris office, 'Guess what you get for $A50 a month from a broadband operator in Paris?' The answer: internet download speeds of up to 24 megabits a second and unlimited downloads, at least 100 television channels in the basic package (and the offer of another 100 channels if you pay extra), unlimited voice-over-internet protocol calls within France, and phone calls to other countries that save heaps -- all offered with no maximum contract periods for customers. Paltridge, an expatriate Australian who has worked for the OECD in Paris for the past decade providing research for their much-quoted index of comparative broadband take-up in 30 OECD countries, added: 'How does that speed compare with what's on offer at home?' A bird's-eye view of new Western European broadband systems shows just how far Australia is lagging behind, and just how much we are missing out on. [Introduction]