Virgin Media to buy Arquiva WiFi division

[BenMcr]

https://www.ft.com/content/b3412a12-...1-d87a9fea034f

Virgin Media is closing in on a deal to bulk up in the WiFi industry after agreeing to take over an Arqiva unit in a deal worth tens of millions of dollars

It'll streamline the owners of the networks that the VM WiFi app uses.

[Gavin-D]

For those not subscribed to the FT you can read it through this link

https://www.google.co.uk/search?neww....0.Uka_KG3qjf0

[Pierre]

Arqiva, not Arqiva

Used to be NTL the original NTL before being bought by Cabletel.

Then it became NTL: Broadcast.

This is just the WIFI bit, like what you log onto when you stay a Premier Inn.

[Horizon]

.... perhaps the next step might be for VM to bid for the ntl broadcast "bit"?? That bit would cost 'erm a few pennies.

As wireless spectrum gets ever more valuable, it can only be a matter of when, not if, the Freeview spectrum gets auctioned off for mobile/broadband use.

They should announce a 10 year plan to move the entire UK tv broadcast infrastructure to satellite, then auction off all the UHF spectrum. Satellite coverage is near ubiquitous and the dishes are unobtrusive. A healthy selection of TV sets in the uk marketplace already have sat receivers built in so its not even a major ask for the manufacturers to do it.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Chris

They should announce a 10 year plan to move the entire UK tv broadcast infrastructure to satellite, then auction off all the UHF spectrum. Satellite coverage is near ubiquitous and the dishes are unobtrusive. A healthy selection of TV sets in the uk marketplace already have sat receivers built in so its not even a major ask for the manufacturers to do it.

I think it would have been a sensible idea but the train has already left the station. The big opportunity to do this was instead of the Freeview switchover from analogue and I don't think it will be popular with the public. Instead, I think the capacity available to Freeview will be chipped away but compression technology will ensure that the number of channels remain whilst OTT channels rise until they become the norm. Satellite technology now would just be an intermediate one.

[pip08456]

Originally Posted by Chris

They should announce a 10 year plan to move the entire UK tv broadcast infrastructure to satellite, then auction off all the UHF spectrum. Satellite coverage is near ubiquitous and the dishes are unobtrusive. A healthy selection of TV sets in the uk marketplace already have sat receivers built in so its not even a major ask for the manufacturers to do it.

All the more reason to move to streaming. Auction off the UHF spectrum and use the money to provide everyone in the UK access to a connection that will support streaming of content at a resonable price (we ain't talking 200mb connections here, just enough so they can still watch Corry.Emmerdale, Eastenders, big Brother and all the other important programmes of that ilk!)

Why pay money to satellite providers when the internet will provide the same if not more?

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by pip08456

All the more reason to move to streaming. Auction off the UHF spectrum and use the money to provide everyone in the UK access to a connection that will support streaming of content at a reasonable price (we ain't talking 200mb connections here, just enough so they can still watch Corry.Emmerdale, Eastenders, big Brother and all the other important programmes of that ilk!)

Why pay money to satellite providers when the internet will provide the same if not more?

Money's already being paid to satellite providers, the extra substantial cost is in buying and fitting dishes and receivers.

This broadband solution sounds a preferable solution to me but at the moment there's parts of the country that don't receive a good enough speed but in the future that may work. Building upon your idea, a more controversial solution might be to:
- sell off the spectrum and use it to fund the BBC enabling the licence fee to be abolished and a broadband subsidy paid to the over 80s.
- allow people the choice of subscribing to a basic broadband service that will include access to PSB TV services.

Only issues are that I'm not sure how long the spectrum auction would fund the BBC for and how its long-term funding would be tackled.

Originally Posted by pip08456

All the more reason to move to streaming. Auction off the UHF spectrum and use the money to provide everyone in the UK access to a connection that will support streaming of content at a resonable price (we ain't talking 200mb connections here, just enough so they can still watch Corry.Emmerdale, Eastenders, big Brother and all the other important programmes of that ilk!)

Why pay money to satellite providers when the internet will provide the same if not more?

Because you would still end up relying on satellite for a chunk of rural Britain where you can't deliver fibre (or even copper DSL) and anywhere you might want portable or temporary coverage (dishes are increasingly popular on motor homes for example), and if you insist on doing it over IP then it would be satellite of the highly expensive two-way kind.

Broadcast satellite TV isn't affected by local bandwidth limitations. You can run unlimited receivers at any location, no matter how remote, without any fixed infrastructure on the ground.

It will be a very long time before all British homes get sufficient Internet bandwidth to run even 2 HDTVs simultaneously. Yet every home and caravan site in the country can receive 11 HD channels free to air right now in the Freesat EPG (except for the few that are built snug to the side of a north facing valley).

[Kushan]

My alternative idea:

Sell of the spectrum, use those funds (and probably some extra government funds) to blanket the country in fibre optics. If we can supply a home with running water and electricity, we can supply it with Fibre. One large initial cost, covered mostly by the spectrum itself, but the end result is almost unlimited bandwidth into every home without satellites. Throw in a bit of multi casting and there's no reason why every channel couldn't be in 4k (or better) and there's no limit in channels.

The various providers and ISPs can use the public network much like energy companies do today, they all pay in to maintain it and everyone gets a gigabit capable line.

It's a crazy idea, it'll likely never happen, but I don't think it's a bad idea.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Kushan

My alternative idea:

Sell of the spectrum, use those funds (and probably some extra government funds) to blanket the country in fibre optics. If we can supply a home with running water and electricity, we can supply it with Fibre. One large initial cost, covered mostly by the spectrum itself, but the end result is almost unlimited bandwidth into every home without satellites. Throw in a bit of multi casting and there's no reason why every channel couldn't be in 4k (or better) and there's no limit in channels.

The various providers and ISPs can use the public network much like energy companies do today, they all pay in to maintain it and everyone gets a gigabit capable line.

It's a crazy idea, it'll likely never happen, but I don't think it's a bad idea.

There's a national Government-owned broadband network in Australia which uses fibre except in some areas where wifi and satellite technologies are used. 43 ISPs use it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation...adband_Network
Controversial at first, it now finally seems to be profitable and delivering on its promises. http://www.smh.com.au/business/comme...26-gr1x90.html

What you're proposing suggests a nationalisation of Openreach and part of VM. I suspect Sky, Vodafone and TalkTalk might approve.

[Kushan]

Not necessarily nationalising part of VM, just building fibre where there currently is none going to the premises. It might well make BT and VM's networks utterly redundant, or perhaps they'll focus on business lines but yes in general a national broadband infrastructure I feel would be ideal.