SamKnows

Will the 50p phone line tax only bring fibre to 80% of the UK ?

Communications regulator OFCOM has given BT Openreach the green light to operate active electronics in its access network.

A number of internet service providers (ISPs) have this week announced that they will take part in BT’s fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) trials. This involves the installation of electronics in roadside cabinets in order to minimise the length of the copper loop.

The Guardian has published a map of BT’s initial Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) locations. This follows on from the media stories over the last few days about various regional cities getting “superfast” broadband.
With electronics mounted in or close to kerbside cabinets the length of the twisted pair loop will be reduced and speeds of

OFCOM have today released a statement on “Delivering super-fast broadband in the UK” which focuses on the regulatory regime that will apply to BT as they “currently hold a position of significant market power in relation to the relevant markets at present”. Specifically it addresses BT’s Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) plans.
The 90 page document is

Northern Ireland’s DETI have funded Avanti Communications to the tune of £1.1m to provide satellite broadband services to NI residents and businesses unable to access fixed line broadband. 
The 5 year contract with BT to provide 100% coverage of 512k broadband is coming to an end in March 2009 and the Avanti contract will provide continuity

In a recent interview BT’s CEO Ian Livingston suggests that the recession and shareholder pressure may jeopardise plans to spend £1.5bn bringing the next generation of super-fast broadband services to 10m British households within the next four years.
The credit crunch and BT’s recent results will have constrained the availability of capital, and there remains regulatory

Providing a nationwide network of next generation broadband could cost as much as £29bn, according to the influential telecommunications industry body, the Broadband Stakeholder’s Group (BSG). If that leaves ISPs and broadband users wondering where the investment is coming from, the long awaited ‘Caio report’ (PDF download) suggests that it’s unlikely to be coming from

OFCOM have published the results of research into how fast data can be transmitted over a copper local loop.
This is a very theoretical study that asks what might be possible some day, while noting that the standards to achieve that level of performance have not been defined and equipment is certainly not available.
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