So your argument is really "BROADBAND for the CONSUMER is DEAD"? Better rename your thread. ;-)
People who love the Internet at the office want the same access speed at home. Just browsing alone demands ADSL download speeds for a truly enjoyable experience. One you experience it, you will want it if the price is fair. (Side note: This is different from HDTV where you see it, you want it, but not bad enough to pay the high price.)
Now let's factor in the some of the ever proliferating digital formats that are flying around: MP3 audio, various bandwidth intensive still and video image formats. This is fueling the need for broadband at the consumer level. ADSL can accommodate these requirements. These are current needs, but other services will add fuel to the demand, e.g. VoD. ADSL can accommodate those requirements, too, for a wide section of the populace through the deployment of RT's to alleviate distance limitations.
Up until now we pretty much needed a separate "pipe" for every content/service we want access to: Voice line, modem line, satellite dish, TV antenna, cable connection, etc. With virtually everything becoming digitized, all we need is a single digital pipe of sufficient bandwidth to access any content/service we so desire. Look at Time Warner and AOL merging: content and bandwidth.
I think a better discussion might center around what access technology will bridge the last mile. But wait...there is already an excellent thread focused on that. My personal feel on that is: ADSL, followed by cable, followed by wireless. It is a race between the ILEC/CLEC and MSO to get fiber close enough to the bandwidth sucking consumers, and the costs for that portion of the network are comparable for either. I believe ADSL is a more cost effective technology to get from the fiber to the home. Wireless then fills the gaps where logistically and economically it makes sense to do so.
An unsolicited word of advice. We must be careful not to judge the viability of things, especially new things, through our own desires and experience, i.e. "I don't need/want it, so nobody else will need/want it". I have made this mistake before and missed investment opportunities because of it.
Just a few opinions on a Saturday morning. Anyway, good luck with your new thread. |
