Least Cost per Exabyte = FttH

There are many proposed definitions of NGA, Next Generation Access:

Ranging from an uninspiring 5Mbps asymmetric through 20Mbps to 100Mbps symmetric and beyond (the latter being the NextGenUs NGA 2010 benchmark, i.e. real-time world-class, itself increasing to 1000Mbps symmetric in 2012 inline with the current world leaders, our cousins in Japan and South Korea).

In order to deliver the 4th Utility the UK needs, we must look beyond the pseudo-equality of so-called technology-neutrality and recognise that the only infrastructure capable of upscaling to meet any bandwidth demand scenario that local communities can call for, is Fibre to the Home.

Just as services such as social networking, and real-time streaming were unimaginable 10 years ago, the innovative applications that super-fast broadband could support are only to be guessed at.

What we can say categorically is that no NGA infrastructure other than FttH can guarantee to deliver at a reasonable on-going cost (and therefore as a non-discriminatory service of General Public Good) a 4th Utility service that is genuinely future-proof regardless of what we, the customer, may choose to demand it supports.

As bandwidth demand goes up, only FttH can keep up, at least cost per exabyte exchanged.

Anything less from NGA and the UK is being short-changed – something that can ill be afforded in a global economy where telecommunications is already demonstrating its astonishing transformatory capability to transfer work and wealth-creation at the speed of light.

FttH is not a luxury, it is an imminent National necessity.

Also posted on www.fibrestream.co.uk