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The OPEL network was supposed to cover 638,000 square kilometres with 15,000 kilometres of new backbone optical fibre extending across all States and Territories and would build, manage and promote a wholesale broadband infrastructure network enabling wholesale providers and retail ISPs to serve the current and future needs of rural and regional consumers and businesses.
Well that was then. Fast forward to April 2, 2008 and the now Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, along with his communications head Senator Stephen Conroy decide to can the project with little more than a stroke of a pen.
Perhaps the OPEL consortium should have been more attentive to the speeches last month at the Internet Industry Association Annual dinner, where Senator Conroy outlined Labor's future plans for Australia's digital economy. He reaffirmed Labor's election pledge to build a nationwide network but at the same time somehow forget to mention OPEL. Could this have been an omen for things to come? And if that wasnt a clear enough sign, only one week ago, Senator Conroy, was still unwilling to sign the agreement to hand over the $958 million to the OPEL consortium.
