In the latest bizarre twist, the NBNCo CEO was quoted this morning by CommsDay as saying he is considering building a 5G wireless network to bypass parts of the copper NBN that are unreliable or corroding.

It’s important to reflect on how we arrived at this point:

• Malcolm Turnbull abandons a $45 billion fibre NBN on the false pretence that he could build a copper alternative for $29.5 billion.
• Turnbull goes on to deploy an inferior multi-technology mix for $49 billion.
• NBNCo executives begin considering plans to overbuild parts of the fixed-line network with wireless technology that the private sector is already deploying.

So much for engineering and economics.

The combined cost of a copper build and fixed-wireless overbuild is nearly $6,000 per premises, well in excess of deploying fibre to begin with.

This is another embarrassing concession that parts of the current network are not fit-for-purpose.

Things only got worse for Mitch Fifield during Question Time today, when the poor Minister evidently had no idea what NBNCo was up to.

With this level of incompetence, Australians are legitimately entitled to ask – what is the point of building a second-rate copper NBN that costs more and does less?

This is the $49 billion question that Turnbull continues to evade.