[Gllug] LLU / ADSL

[Chris Bell]

On Fri 21 Sep, Pete Stean wrote:
> 
> >   I see that there may be an official push for fibre to cover the last mile.
> 
> There is - Stephen Timms MP is imploring BT and Virgin Media amongst
> others to bring us up to a competitive position with our European
> neighbours (I went to the Broadband Stakeholder Group meeting on
> Tuesday evening where he made his announcement) re fibre etc. Wiring
> that Swedish pensioner's home so she had a 1.21 jigawatt connection
> got tongues wagging I think...
> 
> The BT programme to bring this all to fruition is called 21CN if you
> want to read up on - it's all going to be bloody expensive for someone
> though... there's a lot of copper to be replaced
> Pete
> 

   I think most of the aluminium cable has been replaced, but there is still
a shortage of individual copper pairs in many areas.
   There have been suggestions of fibre to a nearby roadside box, then
copper for the last few yards, but there appear to be problems with that,
(probably used more in rural areas).
   Perhaps multiplexed fibre to a local box, then multiple single fibres to
subscribers, would be an easier target. It might ease congestion close to an
exchange. I was told that at least one video distribution company in the
Greenford/Southall area used individual customer cards in roadside boxes,
with automatic monitoring to enable individual charging per programme/time.
   I understand that fibre is expensive to install, but cheaper to maintain.
Part of the cost could be covered by recycling the copper. One of the
original problems with fibre was that you could test it thoroughly after
manufacture, but it often failed to work when pulled through the ducts,
cured by blowing it through instead.

-- 
Microsoft sells you Windows ... Linux gives you the whole house.
Chris Bell

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