Report - Access to high speed networks
The Centre d'analyse stratégique recently published:
Access to high speed networks
The expansion of fiber communication networks accessible directly from the costumer’s premises is an inescapable technological evolution. It surpasses the ADSL limits offering access rates lower than 8 MB/s for many, and it is also compatible with the growing use expected in the coming years. The government has thus set 100 MB/s as the available capacity target in all of France for 2012. This goal represents a significant investment of around €21 billion (according to ARCEP).
Today, France only has 655,000 costumers connected to the Internet via optical fiber networks (thus benefiting from high speed network (THD)), which represents about 2% of all customers. However, some 5.9 million households, or 21%, are potentially connectable to optical fiber.
The study, conducted by IDATE for the Centre d’analyse stratégique, compares the economic mechanisms implemented in France and abroad and their consequences in terms of the VDSL expansion pace. Centre d’analyse stratégique retained seven main proposals:
- Carefully monitor the actual expansion and the commitments made by operators and define, if necessary, new regulatory measures, including local ones.
- Strengthen cooperation between operators and local communities, ensure that the engagements are clear and respectful, and provide a referencing point for all stakeholders.
- Strengthen support services for local community projects by implementing an effective and sustainable management for the “Fund of digital technology”.
- Inform costumers of the existence and benefits of high speed networks and encourage the development of specific offers and services.
- Promote a diversification of offers by taking into account the access quality and by using additional features and content of terminal, while ensuring a transparent schedule of fees.
- Facilitate the expansion of optical fiber networks availble directly to customers by removing the remaining regulatory and technical hinders and quickly educating the necessary number of technicians specialized in the expansion of optical fiber.
- Invest in alternative technologies for increased bandwidth in low density areas where demand is urgent, but where investments in fiber optics at a reasonable cost in the short or medium term is impossible.
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Jean-Michel Roullé, Head of communicaitions
jean-michel.roulle@strategie.gouv.fr
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Jonathan Lorrillard, Communication officer
jonathan.lorrillard@strategie.gouv.fr
Tél. : +33 (0)1 42 75 60 39