There's definitely a place for B4RN, Walter. Just out of interest, as I can't find it anywhere, what is the average cost to the EU for service provision, and/or on-going rental/maintenance costs ??
I've said it on another thread on here somewhere, but I would say that 60% of EU's I personally come into contact with, will have procured VDSL services for the
exact same monthly costs as ADSL. The only proviso that I'm being told, is that they sign-up to a 12/18 month contract.
"Perhaps it should be noted too that there is some debate ongoing in some quarters over the types and quality of broadband services being provided across the entirety of the UK".Could you expand on that ?? The fact and figures I see tell a different story. Yes, it isn't perfect, but the feedback from the 'Vectoring' trials is very good at the minute. That in itself will boost speed and stability of OR's VDSL products. I wish I could post up the 'Power-point' presentation backing up my claims, but it is a controlled document at this moment in time, and therefore I can't and wont.
We need to understand that groups like B4RN are completely and utterly different to BTOR. They don't have to operate under the same extremely tight guidelines that we do. They are a non-profit making organisation. We on the other hand, are a FTSE 100 business that has to show continued profits as a duty to our shareholders. As such, we can't just throw silly money at a venture that would not show a return in a million years. Ventures like parts of rural Britain. That said, we have
still invested hugely with our BDUK commitment. The main difference between B4RN and OR, is that we deliver to the masses, rather than the minorities.
I've asked this before, but for clarification, what would happen if any land disputes were to happen in an area under B4RN's jurisdiction ?? What if Farmer A demands the fibre-carrying duct across his field be removed ?? What happens when a Fibre cable gets cut, who repairs it and in what timescales ??
Believe me, these scenario's happen regularly. that is why we have a legal department involved primarily with 'Wayleaves' that give us the right to maintain our ducts and cables, regardless of land ownership. We can also respond and repair within hours of a reported cut cable. This is great peace of mind for our EU's.
As I stated at the beginning, I like B4RN and what they are achieving. But a large Telco they are not, and their product is based on mainly goodwill.
