AT&T says they don’t need fiber-to-the-home for broadband
Top phone company AT&T Inc. shrugged off
concerns on Tuesday that it would need to build a more expensive, all-fiber
network to handle an expected surge in high-speed Internet and video
traffic.
Convergence by Jackson Pollack
Top phone company AT&T Inc. shrugged off concerns on Tuesday that it would need to build a more expensive, all-fiber network to handle an expected surge in high-speed Internet and video traffic.
AT&T is currently upgrading its networks to deliver an Internet-based video service called U-Verse to compete with cable companies.
But unlike No. 2 player Verizon Communications, which is launching a similar service by building a “fiber to the home” network, it is making use of existing copper lines to save costs.
“Our view at this point is that we’re not going to have go ‘fiber to the home.’ We’re pleased with the bandwidth that we’re seeing over copper,” Chief Financial Officer Richard Lindner told a Credit Suisse conference.
“On average, at this point, we’re producing about 25 megabits (per second). But in many many locations, we’re producing substantially more than that.”
Some analysts have said AT&T’s method is more efficient, while others have said it would need to upgrade its network again when more consumers start to watch high-definition channels and download movies, requiring increased bandwidth.
Most of the U-Verse adverts are still talking fibre. If their infrastructure can handle 25mbps, when will they offer us “more efficient” access — affordable access?
Where is it? Wha?
Posted: Wed - December 6, 2006 at 06:16 AM