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[Bowdon]

Lets assume its 2050. OR and others have finally got full fibre to every house/business in the UK.

What are the real advantages of a full fibre network over the current copper network?

[burakkucat]

I'll start the list by saying that there will be nothing worth stealing and selling as scrap metal.

[NewtronStar]

1. RFI issues are gone
2. REIN & SHINE gone
3. Crosstalk gone
4. DLM hopefully gone
5. Faster broadband with bandwidth a home user could not max out
6. more expensive per month
7. probably more expensive OR charges to end-user if no fault found

[NEXUS2345]

No needs for cabinets, lower maintenance costs, can't really think of anything that hasn't already been said.

[4candles]

The majority of the likes of our own Black Sheep will be out of a job.   

[Black Sheep]

Aw, bless ya 4candles.  ............From a purely selfish angle, hopefully I won't be here in 5yrs time .... let alone 2050 !! But I take your point and alas that is one of the downsides to technological advancement, the diminishing need for man-power.

The other being the amount of active threads on kitz ........ just the one. 

[kitz]

Faster broadband with bandwidth a home user could not max out

Not sure if congestion would ever cease to be an issue for contended lines though.

[mlmclaren]

Not sure if congestion would ever cease to be an issue for contended lines though.

I agree, will probably see more centralized congestion at ISP's data centers and content providers will surely be applying data rate caps that folks can retrieve data at.

I think if say we had a 99% full fibre coverage across the UK the prices for high speed packages would surely be exorbitant to reduce the number of users (required bandwidth)... a 100/100 line would probably be the most popular package for households with anything faster being considered a premium service...

Of course this could not be the case depending on how the main web of fibre's is upgraded in years to come and whether they will be able to carry 1000's of time's more data simultaneously

[davinci8128]

Way more reliable. You can virtually go for years without your connection dropping.

Much easier to diagnose and fix issues. With dsl as soon as you sneeze a little too loudly and something has broken.

[c6em]

Looking at the flip side!

One problem for fibre is water damage or rather freezing water damage.
In the splice enclosures where the protective sheath is stripped away there is the very real risk of the fibres being crushed if water is allowed to get into the enclosures and then it freezes: then they cease to function.
Its more of a problem is those countries which have "real" winter I'd admit, but the problem is a known one.
Keeping the enclosures totally water tight seems to be the current solution or to use some form of anti-freeze gel inside it.

Another issue in theory at least, though I've no idea whether in practice it is an issue if the possible effects of radiation - and in this country that means radon gas in place such as Cornwall.

[Weaver]

Radiation could mean Cherenkov radiation? No, seriously I very very much doubt electrons would be able to get in.

Back to the minus side, lightning strike gone?

[4candles]

From a purely selfish angle, hopefully I won't be here in 5yrs time .... let alone 2050 !! But I take your point and alas that is one of the downsides to technological advancement, the diminishing need for man-power.

I guess you'll survive in your role until pension time - well I certainly hope so.

Back in 1980 I was on Strowger and TXE2 switching, but the writing was on the wall. Thankfully I was offered a post on transmission, which saw me through to voluntary redundancy in 1999.

[Weaver]

I hope we'll have many years of the pleasure of sheepdom still to come. Not too many, we all need to put our feet up and get on to the serious business of supping the odd pint and making many helpful, sageful posts on kitz.

[Black Sheep]

Thanks lads ^^^  ................ I have to admit, I'm ready to hang mi' Lancashire clogs up now. There's not enough time in the day to do what I want, and work is getting in the way now  .

I envy you* guys & gals that are enjoying your retirement, not in a 'wishing ones life away' meaning ...... more like having the time to actually enjoy life's pleasures, rather than trudging to work every day.

*As in the royal 'You', I appreciate Weaver is sadly house-bound for the most part.

Sorry for taking this OT ..... split if you think it's for the best, Mods ??     

[WWWombat]

Doesn't everyone quote a lifetime for fibre as being 40 years?

If that's right, then BT would likely be starting up a programme of replacement come 2050...