[ILUG] OT But esat unlimited has been scrapped

[Chris Higgins]

> At 10:27 26/03/2001 +0100, you wrote:
> 
> >I believe this is next on their list, after getting the DSL industry
> >sorted out.
> 
> I presume people realise that they will be doing extremely well, even when#

s/when/if/
 
> DSL is rolled out, to be getting DSL for as little as £75 a month?
> 
> T.

Folks - you might as well forget about anything other than 56k for a long
while... 

Cable -> NTL are in trouble, Chorus couldn't find the arse end of a phone
         line if it had an RJ11 connector on it... Oh wait ! It does :)
Wireless -> 
      Formus - Gone
      Esat   - Broadband only (2MB +)
      Eircom - No incentive to rollout a consumer product when there is
               no competition
ADSL ->
      Eircom - As long as Eircom control the local loop , they will delay
               the rollout of DSL for a long as they possibly can. This
               will prevent everyone else getting into the market..
      Everyone Else - See Eircom.

The ODTR currently is only allowing for 'bitstream' local loop unbundling (LLU)
so what this means is that Eircom get to choose the DSL kit that sits at
the other end of your copper pair, and then rent that DSL service to 
Esat / Genesis etc...

So Eircom control *everything* that goes in place, and hand off all of the
Esat ASDL customers over an IP connection in one place.. Ditto for the
Genesis customers etc..

So Eircom choose the ADSL gear, and then choose the ASDL modems at your house
to match...

Which means if physical unbundling of the loop ever happens all the investment
you've put into your ADSL modem will be useless because you'll have to buy
new gear to work with whatever ADSL kit that Esat/Genesis use..

WHY ? Why have to get new kit ? Because the ADSL kit that Eircom are testing
(or were until they decided to throw it out) is first generation technology..
AFAIK Most other vendors are at 3rd generation (or at least the last time
I checked - which was last 0ct/Nov)..


So - Eircom are deliberately scuppering the whole thing to keep DSL out of
the market... Same as they did for ISDN... because as soon as business start
getting DSL at decent rates, and decent bandwidth - the entire revenue model
for their corporate leased lines and internet circuit ports falls apart..
Eircom cannot see beyond voice revenue, so everything else will be delayed
as much as possible...

By the time the do get around to allowing 'their' copper (paid for by
our taxes, and our parents taxes), to be unbundled - they'll have killed
everyone in the market... and they'll be back to a monopoly..

I can't see Genesis lasting much longer without access to the copper, 
how much more 'next month' can people take ... 

Chris

Disclaimer: My comments are purely my own, and are personally held beliefs.


-- 
** Chris Higgins                         e: chris.higgins at horizon.ie **
** Technical Business Development        tel: +353-1-6204916            **
** Horizon Technology Group              fax: +353-1-6204949            **