Canada can do 85 per cent fibre, Middleton says

The federal government should undertake a study to understand the true potential for Canada’s fibre footprint, Catherine Middleton, Canada research chair in communications technologies and the information society at Ryerson University, said at an event on Parliament Hill Thursday. And she estimates Canada’s potential footprint is about 85 per cent or higher. During a speech at an event hosted by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Middleton noted that the Australian government’s $43 billion AU National Broadband Network will connect 93 per cent of Australian homes, schools and workplaces to fibre-to-the-home broadband, delivering speeds of 100 Mbps. The remaining households, mostly in rural and remote areas, will be connected by wireless and satellite connections offering speeds of 12 Mbps or higher. In a follow-up interview, Middleton said Canada is also capable of high levels of fibre connectivity based on the number of DSL lines in homes. She said the Australian plan’s 93 per cent fibre penetration is derived from the number of homes now connected by DSL—which is also 93 per cent. Middleton said that based on the CRTC’s 2010 Communications Monitoring Report—which says 84 per cent of homes in Canada have DSL broadband—Canada should be able to lay fibre to at least 84 per cent of premises. “If we use the same thinking as they used in Australia, it would probably be feasible to go to 85 per cent,” she said. After the Conservative government releases its digital economy strategy—expected to be released in conjunction with the 2011 federal budget—the government or an agency like the CRTC should undertake a study to determine the true potential of Canada’s fibre footprint, she said. “We need an objective and a set of broadband goals for the country. As part of that planning process, we would look at how far our fibre footprint should go, which parts of the country should be served by wireless, and which by satellite,” Middleton said. She said Canada should look at what the cable and telco incumbents currently have in place, where it’s feasible to encourage the roll out of fibre, and what role the incumbents can play in it. The Australian government has agreed to pay incumbent Telstra Corp. $11 billion AU over several years so that the National Broadband Network Co. Ltd., a state-owned company established to build the network, can access Telstra’s infrastructure. In May the Australian government released an implementation study that details coverage, commercialization, competition issues and operating arrangements for NBN Co. But Mark Goldberg, a telecom consultant with Mark H. Goldberg & Associates, said policy developers should not focus so much on fibre. Coaxial cable Internet, he said, can offer significant bandwidth if analog television is reduced or eliminated from distribution. Tests have shown that cable is capable of providing speeds of well over 100 Mbps, and that DOCSIS 3.0 technology can deliver gigabit-per-second download speeds or higher, he noted. Goldberg also referred to Barrett Xplore Inc.’s announcement this week that it plans to launch terrestrial fixed WiMax broadband services with download speeds up to 40 Mbps and a new national 4G satellite network capable of 25 Mbps service. “There are different types of fibre technologies and there are different types of fibre architectures,” he said. “The technology is there. Until people need it, why would the companies reengineer? For bragging rights?” But Middleton said fibre is more valuable over the long-term. “Cable is fine, probably for the next five to 10 years. If applications and services come along that need more, you can expand at that point.” In her speech Thursday, Middleton noted that broadband networks being built in Australia and Korea will offer gigabit-per-second download capacity in the next couple of years. “It is up to policy makers to ensure that our digital society is accessible by all, and that no one is excluded,” she said. “The rest of the world has not stood still. In Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and assorted other locations, including Chattanooga, Tenn., gigabit broadband connectivity is available, offering network speeds more than 600 times faster than our current broadband standard.” She noted that about 95 per cent of Canadian households are served by at least one broadband provider, but fewer than two-thirds of households have a broadband subscription. “Many households that could get a broadband connection choose not to do so,” she said. Middleton noted that Statistics Canada's Canadian Internet Use Survey says 37 per cent of non-users say that they have no interest in the Internet and only seven per cent say cost is a reason for not being connected. sdoyle@thewirereport.ca

Canada can do 85 per cent fibre, Middleton says

News | October 8, 2010

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us