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This is about conservation of IP bandwidth, EM bandwidth and energy.
First, with the dramatic expansion of demand for high-bandwidth IP content such as audio and video streaming, it is only in recent days that the CEO of Telstra as at 27-03-2020 looked at users limiting the demand for IP Streams. Requests by telco providers to VOD services such as Netflix to downgrade HD services to SD services have been necessary during the covid-19 pandemic. It is not not only in Australia, but in other regions such as Europe.
It is the result of more and more people are working or studying from home using internet to communicate, receive assignments, multi-conference with colleagues/students and submitting reports.
For Australia, unless I am corrected on this, the weakest point in the NBN will have to be the maximum bandwidth capacity of connection types such fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and HFC (hybrid-fibre-coaxial) compared to fibre-to-the-home/premises and possibly fibre-to-the-curb (fibre optic at the hub located on the pit outside the home with a shorter length of Cu wiring compared to FTTN).
While 5G is nascent and being sold as the next big thing in high speed communication faster than the NBN, there have been no reports on "stress tests" on the bandwidth of 5G's IP network with many users consuming data-heavy content such as VOD and movies.
Similarly when the CEO of Telstra is asking its clients to ration their consumption of bandwidth, to me indicates NBN's IP bandwidth is constrained by the particular connection technologies such as FTTN and HFC.
Second, the EM spectrum may well be under stress as indicated by the by the ACMA's report on the future of radio transmissions, page 35 of
https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Report-to-the-Minister-Future-delivery-of-radio.docx and see the same points at https://radioinfo.com.au/news/acma-delivers-its-report-future-delivery-radio.
According to the report, it appears that the ACMA's priorities are to convert AM services to FM where the FM spectrum is available. BUT second point did not specify technology to expand, national, commercial and community services. It did however recommend an expansion of the DAB+ services and the supporting of trials of new technology. However, it seems that the term "new technology" is vague. Perhaps it refers to DRM+ and 5G. As mentioned before, 5G is nascent and has not undergone a bandwidth stress test as the current IP networks.
The digital platforms DAB+ and DRM+ conserve bandwidth compared to AM transmissions and to a lesser extent FM transmissions considering that FM can carry in addition to the main broadcast two SCA channels and rds.
There is no explanation of why the ACMA relegated DRM+ known as "other technology" in trial form rather than another way of transmission. DRM+ would be ideal in rural areas.
Taking it it to an extreme, there is a demonstration of a comparison of the reception in Spain of Radio New Zealand's international service via SW AM and DRM+. DRM+ trumps SW AM for clarity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkD01FuXOsg
Finally, when it comes to conserving energy, both DAB+ and DRM+ and to a much lesser extent FM use much less energy than AM radio.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting Belfield