What’s driving the urgency for full fibre?
Fibre technology has been around for many years, yet there are several factors driving the urgency to roll full fibre out as a matter of urgency:
The rise of the AltNets – Britain’sfull fibre roll-out will only be realised if there is true infrastructure competition. The independent network builders have given Openreach a kick and since the altnets have pressed ahead with their plans there has been increased momentum from Openreach.
B2C Versus B2B
Solutions For All
How simple is fibre for the channel?
For the channel, an end state of customers on full fibre is a no-brainer. Fibre customers enjoy faster speeds, fewer faults and increased satisfaction. However, the complexity arises when we consider how, as channel providers, we are going to make full fibre a reality.
Although Openreach have a vision of a simplified product offering, we know that a full fibre rollout will come with its own set of challenges. Despite the promise of what fibre can bring, there will still be a monumental shift in encouraging users to adopt new technology and migrate them from the old to the new.
Working with a variety of FTTP access providers will create immense complexity. Each provider has their own set of technical standards, operational model, pricing, product variants, SLAs and customer journeys. Imagine a world where a 20-site business customers wants a network connected by 7 different FTTP providers.
What’s driving the urgency for full fibre?
Fibre technology has been around for many years, yet there are several factors driving the urgency to roll full fibre out as a matter of urgency:
Government support– There is no doubt that the government’s ambitious target of delivering full fibre to 15 million premises by 2025, and achieving nationwide coverage by 2033, is turning up the heat. They are currently allowing the market to solve this, but they will step in if we don’t
The rise of the AltNets – Britain’sfull fibre roll-out will only be realised if there is true infrastructure competition. The independent network builders have given Openreach a kick and since the altnets have pressed ahead with their plans there has been increased momentum from Openreach.
The promise of a simple future – Openreach has revealed their idea of the future, with a gloriously simplified product portfolio. It solves many of the WLR withdrawal challenges and full fibre delivers the reliability and confidence that the industry has been looking for.
What the future could look like for the Channel
It’s clear that the road to full fibre won’t come without challenges, however I believe that the success of full fibre rests on the shoulders of the FTTP providers working with the scale CPs who can guarantee customers, through managed migrations, whilst simplifying and standardising the customer experience.
By Guy Miller, TalkTalk’s Fibre for Everyone Programme Director