NEXTGEN09, LEEDS — What’s the best way for local authorities to encourage the roll out of next-generation broadband without distorting competition? The French experience, recounted by Gabrielle Gauthey, senior vice-president for public affairs at Alcatel-Lucent, seems to suggest that investing in backhaul would be a smart move.
Gauthey is uniquely qualified to talk about public investment in broadband networks. Before joining the giant optical equipment vendor, she was a member of ARCEP, the French telecoms regulator, and prior to that was responsible for regional digital development strategy at government-owned bank Caisse des Dépôts.
NEXTGEN09, LEEDS — It was standing room only at Fibrecamp this afternoon; a measure of the interest in providing high-speed broadband and next-generation access in the UK. Perhaps it is also some sort of recognition of how many people in this country are still affected by poor broadband connectivity, or have no broadband in the first place. It seems clear to me that the market hasn’t delivered for these people, and it isn’t likely to in the near future. There is an alternative – build it yourself – and that’s where Fibrecamp comes in.
The European Commission has given the green light to the largest ever government-backed fibre-to-the-home project in Europe.
Le Figaro reports that the French President has given the country’s four main telecoms operators just two weeks to come up with a joint proposal for
Dutch broadband speeds don’t measure up
The results echo findings from a study carried out earlier this year by Ofcom in conjunction with technical partner Samknows, which showed that actual broadband speeds in the UK are also substantially below advertised speeds – and consumer expectations.
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