Fibre optic broadband being trialled by TalkTalk
The broadband industry often seems hell – bent on confusing customers with a variety of strange words, which include the use of the words ‘speed’ and ‘fast’ in a number of combinations. Other abbreviations like NGA, FTTC, 21CN and FTTP are also good examples.
Therefore, when considering the latest trials to be done by TalkTalk, any talk about it will be kept simple with ‘Fibre-Optic Broadband’, which is what they are going to trial over the next few months. It will be able to deliver upto 40 Mbps downlink with a guaranteed minimum of 15 Mbps. Uplink speed can be expected to be either 5 Mbps or 2 Mbps, which is better than most ADSL packages out there.
In terms of network, TalkTalk will be bringing fibre – optic cables closer to your home. Generally, users get internet via the copper cables, but the fibre – optic broadband trial will involve getting rid of the copper wires and using fibre – optic cables. That will increase the speed of internet connections. The DSLAM facility in these connections will ensure that you will have good internet connectivity regardless of how near or far away you are from your nearest exchange.
Therefore, in the next couple of weeks, TalkTalk will be enabling customers in Muswell Hill, North London, to first experience fibre – optic broadband. This technology will be initially revealed only to a small set of customers and staff. However, come October, more customers in Muswell Hill will be invited for the trial. The trial will be extended to Whitchurch, Cardiff. Trialists will be given a new modem as well as a router and one of their engineers will visit the customer’s home in order to install the telephone socket. Continue checking out their website, and if you are in these areas, you can register for the trial and you could be the first in the country to try out TalkTalk’s fibre – optic broadband.
Source - TalkTalk Blog
Telecom among the players in the $1.5 broadband roll-out
Telecom didn’t know what to make of their unclear involvement in the government’s urban broadband initiative. Despite being assured that they are clearly going to be a player as planned, Telecom went on to go public with their apprehension of being excluded in the bid for the $1.5 billion broadband project.
In a recent parliamentary event, Australian communications minister Steven Joyce and Labour Party’s voice Clare Curran seemed to throw back and forth words about the fibre-to-home rollout.
Joyce stated the government is going to support possible partners from all regions in the country that will meet the requirements, adding that any partner should note that they will be a shareholder, not a controller, of the company responsible for the roll-out.
Curran rebutted this saying that this should be reassurance enough for Telecom that they could play in the field. The spokesperson said Joyce’s pronouncements could also be taken as a challenge for Telecom to consider shifts its direction, and settle on structural separation or co-invest instead.
On the other hand, Craigs Investment Partners reported loopholes against Telecom, including one clause that mentions “discretion regarding alternative arrangements.” The same entity stood solid that Telecom is not likely to deliver the national project even when it opts for structural separation as politics will play in such a decision.
During the same parliament event, Joyce was also confident that the industry, excluding Telecom, sees all these positively. He said the government’s announcement was most welcomed by all players in the telecommunications industry, citing Australian commentator Paul Budde as a supporter of the ongoing developments to steer clear and far from a telco-centric infrastructure approach.
Despite their expressed support, companies such as InternetNZ want more details and guidelines how the infrastructure will be installed.
For information related to this post, click heret: nbr.co.nz
Rwanda sees bright hope in new fiber-optic ring
Holding promise of providing high-speed internet access for East Africa, a national fiber-optic ring will go online before the end of this year, at the turn of year 2010. The link will have undersea cables connecting Kenya to the internet in less than two months, and go further to provide internet access to Rwanda as well.
For an impoverished and war-besieged country, Rwanda now sees itself an advanced player in development with this recent news of internet access. Despite its being among the poorest nations thriving on agricultural activities, Rwanda deemed it necessary to gain progress with information and communications technology pursuits, along with their plight to have electricity, water and stable livelihood undertakings.
At present, there are very few internet providers mostly found in the capital, Kugali. Heavily reliant on only one satellite for their communications, the few internet service providers charge expensively and at limited speed and availability. This seemingly vastness of poverty extends to lack of skills and education in the field of computers, very low numbers of mobile phone users, and lack of electricity connection. Considering these three are essential to progressing in the field of information and communications technology, Rwanda’s present condition does seem dim and in dire need for connection to the rest of the developed world.
The arrival of East Africa’s fiber-optic cables is seen a step toward changing all these bleak scenario, and further boosts the Rwandan aspiration to make technology be the solid base of their other undertakings, be it economic, health and educational, basic utilities, communications and peace and order in their country.
Despite being dubbed as a too-great-a-leap for his constituents, Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame, considers the fiber-optic ring project to alleviate living conditions of the citizens. Indeed, the news of having high-speed internet opens more opportunities for this country that dreams of being the “Singapore of Africa.”
Click here for related information: BBC news
East Africa gets broadband internet
East Africa has finally shed the tag of being the only broadband-less region with a undersea fibre-optic cable which linked it to networks in India and Europe went live. This should reduce the cost of high – speed internet services as well as voice calls.
A Nairobi financial analyst, Aly-Khan Satchu, said that they have gone into the 21st century from the medival age in a very short time. This is a big economic boost, he said.
Local companies have been fixing fibre optic cables in and between cities in anticipation of the arrival of these undersea cables while internet providers have been reducing the price of modems in order to woo more customers.
Seacom, an internet provider, said that their customers were now paying about 90% - 95% less for a megabit of internet connection. Retail prices should also fall considering the high capacity of the networks and the low intake of customers currently.
The main reason for increase in undersea cables worldwide is the popularity of video sites like YouTube, which is causing demand to double every 1.5 years. Another reason is to prevent loss of productivity in case some cables are accidentally severed.
The cheaper cost of internet should result in the growth of the outsourcing and call – centre industry in Kenya. ISPs hope that the growth of internet usage will rival that of mobile phone usage, which increased from 15,000 to 17.4 million within a decade. Internet access is expected to spread more through mobile phones as laptops continue to be expensive.
In addition to slow speeds, the main reason for lack of internet penetration had been the cost of internet. Even after price rivalries in Kenya, a 3G connection with 5 MB of bundled data with the leading telecom company, Safari.com, cost nearly 55 pounds monthly.
Source - guardian.co.uk
