Don’t You Know That Up to 10 Megabits is Just Fine?
June 9, 2009
I really dislike beating a dead horse when it comes to US Telecom competitiveness globally in bandwidth speed (not to be confused with access, which is a nice warm, feel-good, placating number.)
As I have written previously, I mentioned how a host of carriers and other sorts have filed opinions with the NTIA on how to expend the $7.2 billion in “stimulus” funds for broadband infrastructure. Much debate remains on such definitions as open access, broadband, under-served, un-served, etc. Yours truly proposed a definition that anyone, or any business, being served with less than 100 megabits today is under-served and un-served. Also, within a decade we should have a National Communications policy objective of 1 gigabits delivery covering 90% of the United States.
To see the various pubic comments submitted to the NTIA the link is:
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/comments.cfm.
When I have the time, I enjoy reading some of the filings–a reflection on a filing party’s business interests, not the strategic or economic interests of the United States. Some are off the wall, but what the hell–it’s America after all.
Anyhow, a few notable filers I wrote about previously think it is perfectly acceptable that America has broadband speeds at or below 1.5 megabits per second. Yes, that is a dot between the 1 and the 5. A few notable characters believe up to 10 megabits is perfectly acceptable. Translated: if you receive services at these rates, you have more than enough bandwidth and Federal stimulus funds should not be applied to improve these speeds – they should be applied to build out more infrastructure to make sure more residents and businesses get these wonderful speeds. Pure genius if you ask me!!!!
So briefly, I want to share some recent articles I ran across where either these companies are clueless relative to bandwidth demand or are “pure genius” of Model T bandwidth and very insightful.
- Verizon Business is in the UK (yes, that’s a K, not an S), driving a 100 gigabit services trial for the UK’s national research institutes and education network known as JANET. This was not a lab trial where someone runs 100 gigabits fifty feet in a lab and declares victory; this was a 103- kilometer route (about 60 miles). Oh–by the way–on the same route, they also ran 10 gigabit and 40 gigabit signals simultaneously (for those of you technically astute, this simultaneous bandwidth transport is huge, but I won’t get into nanometer windows today.) My Question: Those stupid Brits – don’t they know that 1.5 megabits or up to 10 megabits is perfectly acceptable?
- AT&T announced a 4G deployment of wireless in California (US California, not Mexico). They are delivering data at 20 megabits per second for starters. My question: Those idiots at AT&T, don’t you know that that 1.5 megabits or up to 10 megabits is perfectly acceptable? Why are you over engineering your network? Go read the NTIA filings.
- Spain just announced the launch of a GPON access program to bring fiber to 14 million households and businesses. And get this; incumbent Telefonica SA (NYSE: TEF) is required to make available to alternative providers Telefonica ducts and trenches. Well, the last time I checked the G in GPON, it stands for Gigabit. My question: Hey Spaniards, what is wrong with you? Don’t you know that 1.5 megabits or up to 10 megabits is perfectly acceptable? You don’t need fiber, copper works perfectly well or try some of that 4G wireless stuff AT&T is tinkering with – you can really be at the edge of technology with that.
- In the sort of related department, a study on customer satisfaction in the United States released by the University of Michigan last week ranked the United States Postal Service and energy utilities higher in customer satisfaction over Telecommunication services. But don’t feel bad, Telecommunications services ranked higher in customer satisfaction over airlines!
Maybe we need to promote the energy utilities and the USPS to take over Telecom infrastructure? Imagine getting beat by a 44-cent snail mail provider and energy concerns just discovering how to remotely read a meter!
Written by Dave Rusin - Telecom Executive
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Dave,
As a rural customer who left dial-up internet only 3 yrs ago, my current 3Mbps FTTB (Fiber To The Barn) connection feels like broadband heaven right now. But you’re right. Just this week I was visiting with a guy who runs an Internet business from home with a 10Mbps upgrade, and he says it won’t be long before that connection is pushed to the limit. He doesn’t even run his servers there, he just moves lots of multimedia bits around.
Don’t feel as though you are beating a dead horse. America needs to wake up and smell the bandwidth.