This is only a preview of the November 2004 issue of Silicon Chip. You can view 23 of the 112 pages in the full issue, including the advertisments. For full access, purchase the issue for $10.00 or subscribe for access to the latest issues. Items relevant to "USB-Controlled Power Switch":
Items relevant to "A Charger For Deep-Cycle 12V Batteries, Pt.1":
Items relevant to "The Driveway Sentry":
Items relevant to "SMS Controller, Pt.2":
Items relevant to "Picaxe Infrared Remote Control":
Articles in this series:
Purchase a printed copy of this issue for $10.00. |
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Editor
Peter Smith
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Ross Tester
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO
Reader Services
Ann Jenkinson
Advertising Enquiries
Phil Benedictus
Laurence Smith
Benedictus Smith Pty Ltd
Phone (02) 9211 9792
Fax: (02) 9211 0068
info<at>benedictus-smith.com
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed
Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK
Stan Swan
SILICON CHIP is published 12 times
a year by Silicon Chip Publications
Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49
003 205 490 All material copyright
©. No part of this publication may
be reproduced without the written
consent of the publisher.
Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park,
Victoria.
Distribution: Network Distribution
Company.
Subscription rates: $83.00 per
year in Australia. For overseas
rates, see the subscription page in
this issue.
Editorial & advertising offices:
Unit 8, 101 Darley St,
Mona Vale, NSW 2103.
Postal address: PO Box 139,
Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097.
Phone (02) 9979 5644.
Fax (02) 9979 6503.
E-mail: silchip<at>siliconchip.com.au
ISSN 1030-2662
Fixed line phones no longer
a necessity
This month’s feature story on “Unwired”
internet access must worry anyone who has
Telstra shares. Why? Because Telstra’s customers
no longer need a fixed line telephone service to
obtain internet access. Up till now, if you wanted
internet access, whether dial-up via a 56K modem
or an ADSL broadband service, you had to have
a fixed line telephone service. The exceptions
would be if you had cable TV, in which case you
could have a cable modem for internet or you
might have used a satellite internet service. For
the vast majority of people though, a fixed line telephone was a necessity.
Of course, if you don’t need internet access and you already have a mobile phone, you have not needed a fixed line telephone service for some
time. In fact, tens of thousands of people living in rented accommodation
throughout Australia have long ago opted not to bother with a fixed line
service. In doing so, they avoid installation charges which are hard to justify,
since they normally only require a few minutes work by a technician at the
local exchange. They also avoid monthly rental charges, high STD phone
charges and so on.
For a person who makes very few phone calls, a prepaid mobile is definitely
the way go. There are no rental charges, you only pay for the calls you make
and incoming calls are free. Why bother with a fixed line telephone?
This is a world-wide trend, with the number of mobile phones rapidly
exceeding the number of fixed line installations. In fact, many developing
countries look to be leap-frogging the large infrastructure cost of fixed lines
and just adopting mobile phone services instead.
In Australia, one could foresee a situation where most private individuals
do not have fixed line phones – they would be confined to businesses and
organisations. And then you have to factor in the concept of “Voice over IP”
as described in last month’s issue – for virtually any telephone calls. Large
businesses are already migrating to VOIP for long distance calls and small
business and private individuals will largely follow in the future. So even
if they keep their fixed line telephone systems, they will be using VOIP and
ADSL to cut their long-distance phone costs.
All of which does not augur well for Telstra. It has an enormous investment
in its fixed line network in which it has a monopoly. But it doesn’t have a
monopoly in mobile phones where it is being buffeted by intense competition
by some very aggressive players. So unless there is some new development
which encourages customers to take up more services involving fixed line
telephones, one can only see Telstra’s fixed line revenues being severely
eroded in the future. Sooner or later, and probably sooner, the investment
pundits will realise this and the shares will go down accordingly.
This is yet another example of the inexorable march of technology. At
one time, steam engines and horseless carriages had a very big market but
they fizzled to nothing.
What can Telstra do? In the short term, it might like to buy Unwired
Australia!
Leo Simpson
* Recommended and maximum price only.
2 Silicon Chip
siliconchip.com.au
|