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U.S.-based cable giant calls on Commission to not focus solely on FTTP.
Liberty Global on Thursday urged the European Commission not to focus too much on fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) when it comes to ultrafast broadband policy, arguing that alternative technologies can also deliver Gigabit speeds.
The Commission has set a target of providing 1-Gbps broadband to schools, hospitals, and large businesses, and a minimum of 100-Mbps for all households – which would have to be upgradeable to Gigabit broadband – by 2025.
FTTP is usually the go-to technology when telcos and politicians start talking about ultrafast, future-proof broadband, but Liberty Global has warned policy makers not to be over-prescriptive when it comes to how ultrafast broadband is actually delivered.
To emphasise the point, Liberty Global commissioned a study by Communications Chambers, which concluded that "the wrong intervention could be wasteful, or even damaging. For example, support for an expensive and slow-to-deploy technology [like FTTP] could drive up prices and paralyse investment in other technologies which might have delivered improved performance more quickly."
Unsurprisingly, DOCSIS – the technology that allows cablecos like Liberty Global to offer broadband services – is one of those ‘other’ technologies that could fit the bill.
The report claims that networks based on DOCSIS could deliver on the EU’s broadband targets as early as the end of 2017, and at a lower cost than FTTP.
With that in mind, Liberty Global will from today start referring to its high-speed broadband networks as ‘GIGAReady’ networks, as part of what it calls its GIGAWorld initiative, which will promote Liberty Global’s rollout of Gigabit-ready infrastructure across its European footprint of 12 markets over the coming years.
"Our scale, commitment and ambitious plans to invest in the infrastructure of our age make us perfect partners to deliver the EU’s vision of a Gigabit Society," said Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries, in a statement.
"Today our fibre-rich networks can connect 50 million GIGAReady homes and we are currently expanding to millions more over the next few years, helping accelerate the digital revolution in Europe," he said.
