21CN slowing down?

Is it likely that exchange upgrades to 21CN is being slowed down due to the rush to roll out FTTC?

Is it also true that BT has no intention in upgrading all exchanges to 21CN within the next five years?

Hence the digital divide gets even wider.


Harry

I would not be surprised, although this suggests that BT are going to keep rolling out ADSL2+.

Being the best network provider is not just about fibre investment. We will be making our higher speed copper-based ADSL2+ service available to 80% of UK premises by December 2011. We have also been investing in Ethernet, expanding our footprint substantially to make it the best in the UK. And we have been investing globally, as we are doing with MPLS and city fibre. Over the past year we have seen the copper line base in the UK grow for the first time since 2006.

I'm sure someone more in the know will appraise us of how much of rural UK is in the 80% of premises. My own opinion is based on the data from (Scotland only, but it gives an idea):

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About/M...

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/933/0103175.pdf (8-fold map)

My own area is classified by the definitions as,

"3 Accessible small Towns - Settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more."

While the map shows my area as Orange, or,

"2 Other Urban Areas - Other Urban Areas (with a population of 10,000 to 125,000)"

Which is completely confusing. The bottom line for Scotland is that based on the 2001 census, 78% of Scottish inhabitants reside in urban or accessible small towns. That does not bode well for the rural communities.



I am also interested in the statements:

The fibre roll out is progressing at a good pace; we are passing around 80,000 new premises per week and we expect the 5 millionth to be passed shortly. This means that we are well on our way towards our stated target of passing 10 million premises by 2012 and 2/3 of premises by the end of 2015. There are currently c.150,000 end users and BT Infinity net adds are running at c.5,000 per week.

80,000 prems per week, 5 millionth soon. 10 million within 18 months. Doing the sums, 2/3 of premises suggest another 10 million by 2015 (5 million every 18 months), so there are 30 million premises or there abouts.



BT are increasingly looking like a market follower, in that they are reacting to others' rollouts in the choosing of the FTTx exchanges, while happily sticking up two fingers to the rural areas of the UK and charging them for the privilege.

BT are increasingly looking like a market follower, in that they are reacting to others' rollouts in the choosing of the FTTx exchanges, while happily sticking up two fingers to the rural areas of the UK and charging them for the privilege.

To some extent very true and they been doing it for quite a while.


I'm sure they will keep upgrading exchanges to 21CN for 80% of UK premises and they might finish it by the end of March 2012 considering those premises aren't likely to be in any "shade" of a rural area.

Normally costs are passed on to the relevant consumer for any upgrades to a system they use, but you don't see that happening with 21CN broadband.

Ofcom messed up with the concept of market 1,2 and 3 exchanges, you don't see any LLU provision working it's way into the smaller exchanges now, which Ofcom hoped would occur some day.

Harry

Harry