UK prime minister David Cameron wants all the Queen’s subjects to have fast Internet by 2020. Well, by “fast” he means 10 Mb/s.
He’ll consult on a new universal service obligation (USO). I suppose that’s something, but with fewer than 6% of addresses able to achieve that today and many able to get up to 80 Mb/s, is it much of a stretch goal?
And now the UK’s biggest telco, BT, is talking about a 330 Mb/s G.fast service, by moving mini DSLAMs out onto poles and in chambers. Wow, that’s fast, but how slow will 10 Mb/s feel, come 2020?
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers cannae change the laws of physics. Not to mention: Hello?...
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
Aunty Beeb speaks peace unto Nation:
All UK homes and businesses will have access to "fast broadband" by 2020. ... The PM is to introduce a "universal service obligation."
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It would put broadband on a similar footing to...water and electricity.
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More than 83% of homes and businesses in Britain currently have access to [more than] 24 Mbps - with that number set to rise to 95% by 2017.
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In September, BT...announced a strategy...to connect 10 million homes to 300-500 Mbps by the end of 2020. MORE
Jon Fingas points to the salient points: [You're fired -Ed.]
[The USO] would give all residents the right to...at least a 10 Mbps internet connection...even if you live in a remote village.
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[The] administration says the options will be "affordable."
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It'd give rural dwellers many of the same opportunities for business and communication as their urban counterparts. MORE
And Andrew Ferguson thinks deeper:
The USO is designed as a safety net to provide the basic access to key services and live TV streaming.
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Other aspects we believe that should be thrashed out is not just the download speed of any USO service, but a legal minimum speed for the upload and guidelines on...latency.
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5.8% of UK premises are estimated to need help to achieve a 10 Mbps minimum. MORE
So Colin Mann regulates his enthusiasm:
The Government also wants to make sure consumers have more transparency. ... Later this year, comms regulator Ofcom will release a new mobile app [for] consumers...to check if their home Wi-Fi is working as it should be.
Ofcom is also planning to release even more detailed, address-level...speed data next year. This will help people make more informed decisions about...moving home or starting a business. MORE
Meanwhile, Philip Virgo hopes this isn't just about giving massive subsidies to BT:
BT is a large part of any "solution" [but] it is not a natural monopoly. There is a kaleidoscope of network technologies and architectures available. Many are more cost-effective for large parts of the country...than those currently deployed by BT.
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The business cases for the competitors to BT are often surprisingly good (payback inside 3 - 5 years, not 20).
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[I hope] to see a lot more in the Autumn statement about how the government plans to allow market forces to meet the demand for world class broadband. MORE
And Finally...
Everything Wrong With Adele - "Hello"
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