Recently we got LTE, which i hope isn't meant to be a serious alternative to proper DSL/cable as the volume limit renders it close to unusable (15 GB or 30 GB for additional costs, every GB above that will require additional 5€). Furthermore connections are dropped frequently and it feels as if the local LTE access point is already at its limit during peak hours. LTE just isn't an alternative.
Unfortunately I fear that this is all that is planned for our region as part of the so called broadband initiative.
To me this is a sign of huge progress, not only do we expect multiple mbps connections for our pocket computers, we're upset when we don't get that level of performance even in the backwaters of our societies.
The mobile tower still has to provide backhaul of some kind. In the usual scenario the backhaul will be provided by microwave connections, though in some cases it might be a fibre connection. Microwave is easier to manage since you don't have to keep leasing right-of-way for your cables, and if something goes wrong it's either one end or the other (as opposed to cables, where your problem with connectivity from, say, Canberra to Sydney might be in Canberra or Sydney or any point along that 400km cable).
Wireless is not a solution for last-mile fixed services except in very sparse rural settings. It will always be lower-speed than wired connections. The only advantage of wireless is the ability to reach more people in a given service area for the same infrastructure cost.
How much of that infrastructure cost is regulatory cost versus just the cost of people building their own antennas? Specifically I am wondering if this is another industry where equipment isn't as difficult or costly as the folklore (or marketing materials) would have you believe.
Does any part of that say "cheap" to you?
Radios are difficult. Radio transmitters which don't pollute the spectrum are more difficult. There's a reason mesh networking is a big research area at the moment - because the little bit of 2.4ghz you use around your house absolutely doesn't scale. You keep it contained and low power, and use wired backhaul.
You want to go to high power? You now need electronically aimed beam-forming antennas, much higher power levels, you need all of this linked to the national backbone anyway.
On the other hand you have more and more services like phones and TV move to IP, so a wired highspeed connection might be even more important in the future.