My understanding of even newer technologies like ADSL2/VDSL2 etc is these technologies still have the same problems as exists now. If you sit on top of a bt exchange you will get super speeds. But, if like me, you're more than a mile away from an exchange, then the speeds will deteriorate. Whatever BT do with their exchanges, it's the ancient copper wires that go into people homes.
I'm not necessarily suggesting that BT (or ntl for offnet) should go down the wimax route, but what other options are there? If BT don't install fibre-to-the-home or much closer to the home like the US telcos are currently doing to compete with the cablecos in the States. I just don't see any other way that BT can deliver "cable" like services on the last mile of their copper loops.
Ntl, in the areas which are cabled, are in a very competitive position now. Yes, Sky can beam down a 10000 shopping channels if they wished, but where's the return path - bt's copper wires. One of the reasons why Murdoch is keen to ditch his satellite operations in the U.S is because he knows its the return path that is the key. Whether its internet, VOD or anything else you need a good return path.
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Originally Posted by popper
and thats were the selling off of the analoge tv and the new land grab for the regulated private wireless bands will come in.
perhaps now that Virgin Media seems to given up on ITV (for the moment) they might instead try and go for some private WiMax spectrum outright rather than rent space from whoever gets the new space (some players in the EU pehaps ?).
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I think there will be a "land grab" for the spectrum and if the current operators like bt or ntl don't snatch the spectrum, someone else will.
There could be interesting times ahead if we had a choice of a bt phone/tv/internet service, cable service, Sky service and a few wimax "cable" tv operators too.