THE internet battle in Cairns has broadened with Leichhardt MP Jim Turnour launching a stinging attack on Telstra.

The MP has backed readers’ claims that services are inadequate and refuted Far Northern Telstra Countrywide boss Wally Donaldson’s claims subscribers who could not get land line broadband were just as well off on the telco’s wireless network.

"Part of the reason we need a national broadband network is because Telstra has failed to deliver the services the community has wanted for many years," Mr Turnour said.

"For example, they argue a wireless service gives the same service as ADSL but, in my experience, that is not the case."

Mr Turnour said wireless was not only slower and more expensive but the more people who used it, the less efficient it became.

The situation would only get worse as broadband nodes at phone exchanges dried up and Telstra ceased rolling out copper wiring to new estates.

Premier Anna Bligh said broadband access in Cairns was inadequate and was fully supportive of Mr Turnour’s bid for an early roll out.

"My view is that cities like Cairns ought to already have reliable, secure access to broadband," she said.

"The reality is that they don’t."

Earlier this week, Mr Donaldson told The Cairns Post copper cabling was no longer being rolled out to new estates as it would soon become redundant due to the Federal Government rolling out fibre optic cabling under its $43 billion National Broadband Network plan.

But the network could take years to get to Cairns and the Far North with the Federal Government estimating it will take eight years to complete Australia wide.

Mr Donaldson has since hit back at Mr Turnour’s claims about the efficiency and cost of wireless broadband saying the telco had recently increased capacity to cope with new subscribers.

"It is not slower but it is slightly more expensive," he said.

"Our nextG network is as fast as ADSL."

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