Axia - the dark horse in the $600m broadband Connect Infrastructure race.

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 16 May 2007 18:12

Business IT - Networking

Axia bid for  Axia operates these networks in France through Covage, a 50/50 partnership with Vinci Networks. According to Price it has won 12 concessions serving 4.3 million people and 100,000 businesses in more than 2000 communities using a mixture of FTTP, FTTC, PON, WiFi and WiMax. He claimed that France Telecom had not won a single concession where it had competed with Covage.

Commenting in his presentation on the dilemma with which the Australian Government is currently wrestling, Price said the number one priority should be "creating the environment for a vibrant, entrepreneurial, diversified, sustainable ASP [application service provider] sector that does technology integration and offers services in demand by end-users in a competitive market."

And he warned that this should not be compromised "by believing that the Government can either out-negotiate the incumbent or [by giving] the incumbent the fibre monopoly and hoping that Government can regulate the incumbent into 'neutrality' if the incumbent (or anyone else) is also allowed to participate in the ASP or retail services sector."

According to price "No government has accomplished this feat [of neutrality]; the profit motive is too dominant and the issue is too complex."