Showing some moral fibre in the UK

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Read more! Few of us are willing to pretend that sweating the copper asset is good. Because it is only good for BT shareholders. And even that is now debatable. It certainly isn't an option if we want to take on the world. Right now, with the plans available from our incumbent, the UK would struggle to competitively take on anyone for FTTH by 2017.

Is that what we want as a nation?



This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com



It really is time that people stood up to BT in this country and made inroads into the necessary infrastructure investment and deployment that is required to get us back on the road to innovation and implementation.

We can pretend that FTTC, Cornwall, Infinity, and multiple other farcical announcements are good for the country. Or we can JFD what is required. Luckily, there are many who believe that copper is only good for socks, kettles and bracelets, and who know that BT is not required to deliver any level of 21st century network deployment.

New non-BT exchanges are being built as I write, and it is time for every community to realise that you do not need, nor want, BT Infinity if you wish to get to a Chattanooga or Korean level of connectivity. Not just sooner rather than later, but AT ALL.

It is time to take BT out of the first mile entirely. There is a place in FiWi Pie for them, but as a wholesaler. Openretch has had its day.

We need to climb out of the box, and understand that the biggest 'drag' on this country's move into 21st century comms is the company we gave an ageing infrastructure to, and failed to apply functional separation to.

Luckily, we no longer need that ageing copper-based infrastructure, nor the companies around it, and each and every community can build its own community broadband network in this day and age, without requiring the incumbent's involvement. We don't need new quangos either - time to JFDI.

So, let's start.....

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iwade up the odds ...and went with BT, Wot a f*** up.

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Read more! Furious doesn't even touch what I feel today. I am waiting for replies from BT because I think we now have an ex-state corporate taking the piss. Big style. And I, you and everyone deserves an explanation. Especially because BT think they have just found a route in to public funding through parish and local councils. "Who generally know nothing on this subject and are easy to play" - Jeremy, Ed, etc, get your radar switched on to what is happening behind your backs......

This blog post can be read at http://5tth.blogspot.com

It would be nice if BT would send the full disclosure on Iwade to everyone who needs it. All we have at present is a pretty press release (which I refuse to link to) and a site telling you that if you are in the final third, BT have just found a way round it. Called FTTC. Believe that, you'll believe anything TBH.

Sorry dad for the swear words, but bollocks, BT. You can sweat the copper asset as long as you want but Charles Dunstone et al are already taking you out with their wireless offerings, and I can name multiple honourable companies who will stop this first mile monopoly you are trying to achieve.

And I think you might find there are bloggers whose audience are seriously unimpressed with this latest....

Stop conning the British public, BT.

FTTC is a farce. There are no two ways to look at it. From a next gen point of view, FTTC is a waste of time. Street cabs in Hove (where I used to live) or anywhere else are unneeded because we need FTTH. FTTC is asset sweating and you, BT, taking public taxpayers' money to do your job as a commercial company and endeavouring to LOCK DOWN the assets so only YOU will benefit when we get FTTH is a no-no.

Let's get to the crux of the matter - network design. If I need to go out to the Internet to talk to my neighbour on a video call, something is wrong. If my e-video with the GP goes out to the Net, the network is not right. That is what BT is selling you - or Ian, put me right.

Design the network as a distributed core network that is localised where it needs be and.....you save a bloody fortune. You let people talk to their neighbours in the cloud. You permit neighbours to chat over a VPN local network. Or correct me if I'm wrong. I'm trying to put this as simply as possible, though I know my readers quite well and they would undoubtedly prefer it to be more complex. (And will, if and when reqd contribute, especially if you, BT, do).

I want to know if iWade is a publicity scam, because that is what it looks like. I also want to know who said that you, BT, had any say over where and who got NGA/FTTH? And to those in government, ask youself really carefully, why BT have said x place is not viable? Stop playing the tune of 66% of the UK.

I actually think that we now have enough people ready to dig FTTH in, just as other countries have already done it.

Hmm, BT, maybe we will just go round you. And don't you know it....hence iwade. Rutland have already gazumped you by doing FTTC without scamming the Parish council, haven't they? Watch them put FTTH in without you - we are.

Why do we need BT to have the best, fastest, most scrumptious internet connection? Can't we build it ourselves and leave you, BT, out the loop entirely? Oooh yes.










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Rural broadband fiasco

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Read more! The front page article on my local paper, The Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, this week says far too much about the reality of rural broadband in the UK. Broadband? That'll be £45,000 then.

What this rural business is seeking is not what most businesses in the world today would even call broadband. The issues the article (and multiple blog posts here) raise about BT's first mile network beg a heap of questions about where BT is investing its money, e.g. with the recent notices about FTTC to specific areas of the country. Most of the places BT intends to go already have choices about their connectivity. The places that need decent connectivity are stuck on old-fashioned and limited plant that urgently needs upgrading or opening up so others with an interest can access street cabs and first mile copper and replace all of this Victorian plant with modern equivalents eg fibre.

What should anyone in a rural community when faced with this dilemma? What should companies such as The Phone Co-op be advising their customers when this problem arises? How should the media be reporting on these issues?

Firstly, any customer who believes their only choice is to deal with BT Open Reach to solve the problem created by BT (the digital chasm) needs to understand that there are other options. In particular, building your own community-owned network so this incumbent monopoly issue is resolved once and for all for our generation and the next generations.

You do not need to physically construct the network yourself, but it will substantially reduce your costs if you do at least part of it yourself, as has been proven in Sweden, Netherlands and elsewhere. There are companies who can design, build, operate and maintain your network on behalf of your community so the learning curve required by a community does not need to be as steep. It will however mean the network asset belongs to YOU and is open so that any provider can bring you a choice of services over that network. This is key to sustainability and future-proofing.

Every community facing these problems should seek expert advice and luckily this is now available through this blog, and the Fibrevolution forum. We are also creating a set of resources and guides based on real-world practical experience to assist communities. As ever, all of these resources are being created without any assistance from the UK government who have shown an abject failure to understand the importance of community-owned rural FTTH projects and sadly, seem likely to continue to do so in 2010.

If your community has any questions about rural broadband, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We have been helping communities for a decade with broadband issues, and I was the first person in the country to hold a rural broadband event. I and many others in our "fibre gang" are happy to help real people get connected to true broadband.

What should companies such as the Phone Co-op do? Become far more aware of the activity that is now in full swing within rural communities. Start to seek alternatives to the olde schoole thinking of dealing with BT. Broadband does not equal BT. Offer customers links to resources and help on rural broadband.

The Regional Development Agencies need to take a lead in gathering together all those interested in helping communities out, and presenting this information to help rebuild rural areas. There will never be a single organisation capable of offering all the advice required to rural communities (and I say that advisedly) so find all those suppliers, consultants, technicians, and community groups able to help and put them in touch with those in need in your region.

What should the media do? Stop taking the information from a limited number of resources and press releases. Start finding out about how others have solved broadband issues such as these and report accurately on the problems and solutions. Take responsibility for co-ordinating regional efforts by publishing broadband supplements that show the full picture. Highlight the affordable and future-proofed solutions to this problem so people understand the solutions are in their own hands. Do not mention BET as a solution - it never will be. It cannot ever be construed as accurate reporting if BET is mentioned in the same sentence, paragraph or article about Next generation access or FTTH without the word 'NOT' in close proximity!!

And MPs - be warned. This is going to become an election issue so get yourself up to date fast on the latest technologies and FTTH. FTTC is NOT the solution, however many press releases Virgin and BT put out about it. Attend the FTTH Council conference in Lisbon next month, read the news from other countries about FTTH, and protect your constituencies from substandard offerings, now and in the future.







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