Convergence Conversation

This week a report I co-authored was published focussing on the transition from copper to fibre.  Whilst the report focussed on alternative costing methodologies and the transition to fibre, the conclusions and implications are broader.  

European telecommunications regulation has developed in an era when networks were in place, demand was stable and there was limited network competition.  None of these conditions hold during the transition from copper to fibre.  

During the transition investment to rebuild networks is required, whilst demand will be much less certain as copper, fibre, cable and advanced wireless networks compete for customers. More...

The Convergence Conversation scheduled for 29 July 2010 raises the question “How much bandwidth do we need?” To answer this question, we need to consider not just bandwidth, but also other attributes of connectivity, how much we value improvements in each of them and what those improvements would cost. The following picture provides a way of viewing three attributes together – mobility, capacity and bandwidth. The divide between mobile and fixed in terms of capacity also draws on information regarding mobile cost functions. 

Bandwidth, and particularly download speed to the home, appears dominant in policy discussion and decisions. More...