DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING TO TSIX?
<<<Canada Does Broadband Faster, Cheaper
By Allyson Vaughan (WirelessWeek.com)
June 26, 2001
Canada is rolling out broadband access twice as fast as the United States at lower costs, says Michael Binder, assistant deputy minister of spectrum information technologies and telecommunications at Industry Canada.
Canada plans to make broadband connections widely available by 2004, Binder today told the Wireless Communications Association's annual convention here. The bold move defies the troubles broadband faces, including the recent bankruptcies of companies such as Winstar Communications Inc., and financial markets that have soured on the industry in the past year.
'We believe there is real pent up demand for this service,' Binder says.
Tom Sugrue, chief of the wireless bureau at the FCC, says that it has taken more time and money than experts predicted to embrace broadband technology widely. 'I'm still bullish on this [wireless broadband] industry. The demand will be there,' he says. Wireless providers can make broadband access a 'lot less complex than line sharing,' associated with DSL competitors dependent on ILEC facilities, he says.
Canada is perhaps the most bullish country, however, when it comes to the prospects for broadband. A Canadian task force comprised of 36 experts released a report June 18 encouraging equal broadband access for all Canadians. The report is a blueprint for the government to assess, Binder says. 'The private sector should lead,' he adds.
But mere survival is the real challenge for broadband companies. William Rouhana, chairman and CEO of Winstar, says that in the past year 'a certain schizophrenia took hold in our world,' resulting in a deflated outlook for overvalued broadband assets. Rouhana says a disconnect exists between the financial markets and the time and money needed to make broadband businesses successful.
Binder says that Canada's government may provide minimum subsidies to entice the private sector to rollout broadband services quickly. 'We're not afraid to intervene,' he says. 'We're very optimistic we can do it.'>>>
Namaste!
Jim |
