Economics
Australia Has Slower Internet Than Kenya, Russia and Hungary
- $38 billion broadband plan plagued by delays, spiraling costs
- Nation has ended up with ‘the worst possible solution’
Strands of optical fiber in a cable.
Photographer: Cole Bennetts/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Australia’s A$49 billion ($38 billion) broadband network was meant to spearhead a digital revolution. Instead, the botched project risks becoming a poster child for government mismanagement.
The nation’s biggest-ever infrastructure investment has turned into a political football, plagued by cost overruns and construction delays.