INDUSTRY NEWS COMMENT: WHOLESALE LINES Colin Annette
“The UK has never had neutrality rules.”
THE media furore seems to continue unabated following the announcement in early January this year that BT Wholesale was starting to sell its own Content Delivery Network – Wholesale Content Connect (WCC). Content Connect enables BT Wholesale to take competitive advantage of the rocketing growth in volume of video being downloaded over fixed line and mobile infrastructure and is driven by the need to create a common multimedia platform with QoS and to give our
customers alternatives to their existing cost model, enabling them to enter the content distribution market. What the service also unwittingly provided was fresh impetus to the media debate around the issue of net neutrality, with a deluge of alarmist headlines. The fact is that the UK has never had neutrality rules, and there is no settled view of what constitutes net neutrality. BT has been lambasted for creating a two-tier Internet. The only way you could look at BT as being just two tiers is if you look at ‘BT’s Network’ and ‘Not BT’s Network’. Every network is another tier. Every network has different characteristics, a chief reason for why there is so much competition and innovation in the ISP market. The only thing that is akin to a net neutrality law is the law of the (network service) jungle. Offer a poor service and customers will leave. This is exactly the opposite to what BT Wholesale is doing. We have listened to our customers, and in order to justify continued investment to improve services within our network to meet customers’ demands we have committed significant finance and time to build a CDN with our own network. This is a new network in its own right, one that anyone can buy service from and benefit from.
Colin Annette, Director, BT Wholesale
Network for rural Britain
A COLLABORATION between Fujitsu, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Cisco is to deliver next gen- eration Internet services to five million homes in rural Britain. The collaboration and sub- sequent Fujitsu build of a new superfast, fibre optic broadband network provides an opportu- nity for any community or local authority looking to access a proportion of the £530m ear- marked by the UK Government to drive investment in superfast broadband in rural areas. The Fujitsu open access wholesale network will be underpinned by Cisco’s technol- ogy. Virgin Media and TalkTalk intend to access wholesale prod- ucts to retail next generation services to customers in remote parts of the UK.
The network will also be open to other service providers on wholesale terms.
The plans rely on Ofcom’s proposal for BT Openreach to provide access to its under- ground ducts and telegraph poles on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Communication Minister Ed
Vaizey stated: “The collabora- tion was exactly the sort of ambition and innovation the Government wanted to stim-
Duncan Tait
ulate by removing barriers to broadband rollout. Fujitsu and its industry partners are pledg- ing a substantial investment in the UK, and it represents a deep commitment to the future suc- cess of this country.
“Creating this superfast broadband network will help improve the economic and social prospects of the homes and businesses where high speed Internet access remains just a dream.” Duncan Tait, CEO of Fujitsu UK and Ireland, added: “There is an opportunity for the UK to re-establish itself as a world leader by having the world’s most advanced fibre network. “If done correctly this can be a key vehicle to accelerate recovery in the UK and bring choice to generations of com- munities starved of participat- ing fully in the UK economy.”
IT’S TIME TO TEE UP
Sir Trevor Brooking Comms Dealer Celebrity Classic 2011 sponsored by TalkTalk Business
Friday 22nd July 2011, Batchworth Park Golf Club, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
Calling all channel
golfers...don’t miss the chance to play in the channel’s top golf tournament!
This July Batchworth Park Golf Club will again be hosting the Sir Trevor Brooking/Comms Dealer Celebrity Classic, sponsored by TalkTalk Business.
The day’s golf will provide an excellent opportunity to enjoy the company of some of Britain’s best loved sport and showbiz stars, such as Sparks regulars Robert Powell, Ray Clemence, Pat Jennings, Ossie Ardiles, Willie Thorne, Sir
14 COMMS DEALER MAY 2011
Geoff Hurst and Sparks President Jason Leonard. The golfi ng stars will receive invitations from one of England’s sporting legends, former West Ham and England international footballer Sir Trevor Brooking – our host for the day. The day will consist of tea/coffee, bacon roll and goodie bag on arrival followed by 18 holes of golf, dinner, prize giving and celebrity entertainment.
A Sparks celebrity will accompany each team of three amateurs for the chance to win some of the many prizes.
As well as having a great time, participants will also be helping to protect the health of future generations by raising funds for the vital medical research programmes supported by Sparks.
Last year’s event was a sell out so please book early to secure a place.
There is no limit on the number of teams you may enter and if you would like to participate please download a booking form ASAP or contact Dan Smith at Sparks on 020 7799 2111 or email
dan@sparks.org.uk or visit
www.sparks.org.uk
BOOK NOW! DOWNLOAD YOUR ENTRY FORM AT
http://www.sparks.org.uk/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=155 www.comms-dealer.com
Doyle takes on top role within Jabra
AFTER a 17 year stint as UK & Ireland MD for Jabra’s Contact Centre & Office (CC&O) divi- sion, Karsten H. Pedersen is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.
He has been replaced by Andrew Doyle who was for- merly Sales Director for Jabra UK CC&O, where he played an instrumental role in helping the division achieve significant year-on-year growth.
Doyle stated: “The growing unified communications market and rise of the mobile workforce offer an exciting opportunity for Jabra in 2011.”
Doyle joined Jabra’s con- sumer Mobile Division back in June 2004 as UK Key Account Sales Manager and he was responsible for major operator and retail accounts including Vodafone, Orange, Dixon’s and Phones 4u. Doyle’s success within the mobile division ultimately led to a transfer to Sales Director for Jabra CC&O.
He has also held positions at former telecommunications group, The Caudwell Group and in the FMCG market with Gallaher and Carlsberg.
Got a news story? email:
sgilroy@bpl-business.com
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