Cornered!
Cornered! is a blog devoted, most of the time anyway, to telecommunications: local and global issues, technology, people and trends from the perspective of someone who's been reporting, analysing and commenting on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition). Sometimes serious, sometimes flippant, sometimes frivolous. Controversial, analytical, informative, amusing, but never boring; a vehicle for examinations of important issues and observations on my encounters and experiences in an industry where polarised views and hyperbole are the norm.
Follow the Australian Telecommunications scene NEWSLETTER- FREE TRIAL

Blog

Technology news and Jobs arrow Cornered! arrow Invest in FTTN in haste: repent at leisure
Invest in FTTN in haste: repent at leisure E-mail
by Stuart Corner   
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
He explains that the aim of the report is to develop "a framework for understanding where costs and benefits related to the deployment of next generation broadband might accrue across the economy and society, and suggest how these should be accounted for in a cost benefit analysis...based on our best understanding of the capabilities of existing technologies and likely commercial developments."

So, does the report endorse the Australian Government's four point seven billion dollar fuelled dash towards a national goal based on near ubiquitous FTTN? No it does not.

The report examines three scenarios: wait and see (and potentially invest at some point in the future); fibre to the curb (node in Australian parlance) and fibre to the home. It notes that: "These options are not necessarily mutually exclusive."

Its time frame for FTTC deployment is five years, similar to Australia's, and for FTTH 10 years, but in both cases - in the much smaller and more densely populated UK - is projects penetration after these times to only 80 percent of the population.

Quite detailed cost benefit analyses of all three options are undertaken but nevertheless the report's authors admit that these are incomplete and they do not provide clear cut conclusions. However, they do say: "In terms of timing, we conclude that there may be benefits to delaying large scale deployment in the short term, and costs in the medium term. The reason for this is that the resolution of uncertainty in the short term will facilitate improved choices."

They continue: "The right choice of technology is best left to the private sector in an enabling environment where potential barriers to investment are removed, including possible barriers to the replacement of copper by fibre that would lower operating costs compared to running two networks in parallel.

"However, not all of these benefits are likely to be realised without complementary changes to policy and the way that we do things. Further, not all of the benefits that are realised will be available to support private investment.

The Australian way of doing things has not been to mandate technologies but to set a goal against which proponents must bid -12Mbps in five years to 98 percent of the population - that is biased towards FTTN.
CONTINUED



 
< Next story in category   Previous story in the category >
iTWire user statistics Visitors last 30 days
694,279
Subscribers 15,210
#1 independent technology news advertise here
  •   *  
  • Search
  • AdvSeach
  • Login
  • Events
  • FreeStuff

- Advertisement -

Featured Whitepapers

Cornered! - Telecoms blog
Cornered! is a blog on all things tele-communication from the perspective of one who has observed, analysed commented and reported on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition).
Follow iTWire on Twitter

About iTWire

iTWire is all about technology news, information, jobs and community for the IT and telecommunications industry professional. Subscribe to our free ICT daily newsletter