FTTH
Still No Japanese Exaflood in Sight
We’ve looked at Japanese bandwidth use in the past and concluded that widespread FTTH deployment is not creating a dramatic jump in bandwidth growth. A recent paper out of Japan with updated data reinforces this conclusion.
Squirrels Ate My FiOS
It’s not just a catchy title. I lost my FiOS connectivity Saturday morning, rendering my Verizon tripe-play package of voice, data, and television inoperative. The culprit? Squirrels. Continue reading
Verizon Opens the FiOS Kimono
Historically, Verizon (VZ) has held it’s FiOS FTTH subscriber numbers close to the vest, and has not provided detailed information about penetration rates or success metrics. Today, they opened the kimono.
What’s Going On in Optical
OK, since I’ve been called out by Om Malik, I’m going to let rip with a stream-of-conciousness monologue on optical. No backspace key, no delete key, spelling corrections ex-post-facto. Here goes.
Verizon GPON Selection
From Telephony Online:
In a research note issued this morning, UBS analyst Nikos Theodosopoulos said Verizon (VZ) is likely to pick Alcatel (ALA), Motorola (MOT) and Tellabs (TLAB) as its GPON suppliers in a twist on the carrier’s traditional dual-sourcing practices.
Typically the Bells would select two vendors, with a 70:30 deployment split between the two over the life of the contract. Who got the 70 was usually determined by technology and pricing in the early stages of the contract, establishing relative incumbency for one supplier.
Continue reading
The Future of FTTH in China – Part V
What we’ve learned
- Part One – A radical change in demographics is creating an optimal situation for a fiber build out in China
- Part Two – GE-PON has taken hold in other countries with similar demographics
- Part Three – The economic and market conditions appear to favor GE-PON
- Part Four -The activities by the largest Chinese Telecom actor reinforces this choice
In this fifth and final installment we will examine what questions remain that prevent accurate forecasting of PON deployments in China.
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The Future of FTTH in China – Part IV
This is part IV in a continuing series. Part III can be found here.
Enter the Dragon
China Telecom (CHA) recently assembled a very quiet, closed door session of suppliers in order to orchestrate implementation of several extensions to the IEEE 803.3ah GE-PON standard. This event has gone totally unreported in the press. Obviously, knowing which companies attended would be valuable- this is what I have been able to conclude.
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The Future of FTTH in China – Part III
This is part III in a continuing series. Part II can be found here.
We believe China Telecom (CHA), as well as other Chinese actors, will choose GE-PON. They are motivated by factors that transcend technical specifications, factors that matter most to the selection process.
Continue reading
Blogging a FiOS TV Franchise Meeting
I attended a Winchester, MA town meeting tonight. The sole purpose of the meeting is to vote on cable franchise application from Verizon for FiOS TV. Meeting ran from 7:30PM to 10PM. Other than a small zoning meeting I once attended, this is my first town meeting.
I am a FiOS customer and follow FTTH issues from a financial and technical basis pretty closely.
THESE ARE RAW NOTES. I reserve right to change them if I get my hands on a transcript from the meeting.
Analysis to follow in a later post.
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Guy from Comcast sitting next to me taking notes. Keeping tabs on the competition. Very friendly, do I detect even some sympathy for what Verizon is about to endure?
Lots of people here… they all know each other. They are all Verizon employees who live in Winchester. A little grass roots corporate push.
Board kicks off Meeting
FiOS TV Rollout and Franchise Approval
This weekend was Town Day in the Boston suburb where I live. One of the street vendors was Verizon (VZ), who was promoting their FiOS service. Comcast (CMCSA)was there too.
I took the opportunity to quiz the Verizon rep on how deployment was going. The rapidity and completeness of his answers was either the result of rehearsal or intense pride.
He indicated that the surrounding towns, where FiOS TV was available, FiOS penetration was at 20%. I asked him what 20% meant and he said “One in every Five Homes”. I asked – “No tricky accounting?”. He said no, and that things were going very, very well. I asked about my town, where FiOS TV is not available and he said that penetration was about 10%, and that the lack of video impacted penetration in a big way. Towns with Video service see much higher subscriber take rates.
I was in disbelief – 20% penetration after six months of service was astounding. I pressed him for a few more minutes and he stood firm on his answers.
I then asked him when they would be getting the franchise approval in my town and he said – the Town Meeting is this Wed. Today.
Should be interesting to see what machinations are required to secure a video franchise. I’m going to go.
