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To: tech101 who wrote (298)	12/18/2003 6:27:21 AM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 376

Youlu, See this commentary from Telephony OnLine concerning the RFP. The author echoes my sentiments to the "T." --------------- Editor's Perspective Disjointed RFP By Ed Gubbins Dec. 17, 2003 At this point, it seems odd to describe the fiber-to-the-premises equipment solicitation the Baby Bells made in May as a "joint RFP (request for proposals)." As we've seen, the Bells have somewhat disparate visions of their own fiber rollouts. Verizon Communications, the most proactive and apparently serious of the three, has selected a vendor and plans to spend more than $600 million on FTTP next year. SBC has picked a vendor, but industry observers still question whether the carrier is serious about FTTP given its focus on DSL; after all, SBC chose Alcatel for FTTP a year and a half ago . BellSouth seems to prefer fiber-to-the-curb, and its executives exhibit a growing umbrage at the fact that Verizon is hailed as the most fiber-aggressive carrier while BellSouth's FTTC networks promise to pass 1 million homes this year, without regulatory relief from on high. If the purpose of the joint RFP was to lower the cost of passive optical networking through the economy of scale the Bells can achieve in unison, they appear to have veered left of that goal. If each carrier follows its own path, economies of scale are diminished. Ironically, economies of scale might come regardless of the Bells' plans as vendors that chased the joint RFP are winning customers elsewhere. AFC sold its new FTTP system to a Georgia telco and is getting inquiries from all around the globe. Municipalities are testing and deploying Quantum Bridge and Motorola's FTTP system. And the list is sure to grow longer. Announcing the "joint RFP" was probably a public relations ploy aimed at federal regulators who pressured the Bells to deploy fiber. (Since when do the Bells publicly announce RFPs, anyway?) But that doesn't necessarily mean none of the Bells are serious about FTTP. And, in fact, despite the Bells' divergent paths since announcing the RFP, the announcement itself may well end up being an important historical marker of the accelerated construction of the next world's network. E-mail me at egubbins@primediabusiness.com . (P.S. Optical Insight will not publish again until January 7. Enjoy the holidays!)