[IOML] Re: IOM Digest, Vol 26, Issue 3

[Dylan Smith]

On 19 Jan 2005, at 16:20, Simon Slaytor wrote:

>
>> Any ideas when the MEA solution is to become available ?
>>
> From what I hear the Government have stepped in and told them they 
> cannot deliver IP services directly to the door of the end user. As in 
> order to do this they would need a 'communications' license that they 
> do not have and cannot get.

I heard this straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. They will 
only be selling wholesale services (to mcb.net, XKO, Domicilium and in 
a twist of irony, they could even end up selling bandwidth to MT). I 
strongly suspect that will mean in reality only XKO and mcb.net will be 
their likely resellers (unless someone else sets up to be a reseller), 
since Domicilium has its own off-island bandwidth (if I'm not 
mistaken), and of course MT has too except for providing redundant 
links.

But they have to wait for Government approval to even do that, so their 
fibre remains dark. It's probably been waiting on the council of 
ministers for at least a year -- if not more!

They have apparently also tested broadband over power lines, but this 
has some other problems that go along with it - radio hams will be very 
unhappy since BBoPL tends to interfere quite badly with many amateur 
bands (and more). Whilst the government might eventually move for them, 
the laws of physics won't.

So much for the government wanting to diversify the economy - they 
certainly aren't helping the process!