Cable Forum - Japan 1Gbps

The usual excuse about population density.

Doesn't really work though when you note that people like Verizon in the US, FT in France and others are running FTTP and we have a higher population density than any of them, especially if you just consider urban areas.

Greater London population density: 4,758/ sq km
'Greater' Tokyo population density: 5,751/ sq km

London's inner ring suburbs have a population of 5.2 million in 360 square miles, for a population density of 14463 per square mile (5580 per square kilometer)

Japan's population density is 339 persons per square kilometer according to the United Nations World Populations Prospects Report as of July 2005

England's population density is 383 persons per square kilometer according to most recent national statistics

I intentionally left out Wales and Scotland as apart from a very few areas they are highly unlikely to see fibre any time soon. Although with the whole fibre for all thing I suspect we'll all get it eventually but have to wait for a universal rollout when less densely populated areas can be adequately subsidised by easier to cable ones.

Yep, damn our more widely separated population. The larger issue is requirements for cabling to be underground, the government liking to tax the hell out of any company that dares to dig, and companies keeping their existing ducting to themselves. That and the fear of investing for having to unbundle any new infrastructure at possibly non-favourable terms. Ofcom while they have wittered on about intent haven't given any real proposals yet.