AT&T is upgrading some U-Verse areas to 75 Mbps. Is this in response to the new FCC definition of broadband?
Indiana Fiber Network is upgrading to 100G. IFN is owned by 20 LECs in the state that put 3500 route miles of fiber in the ground touching about 4000 buildings.
Big upgrades - are you in Indiana? Might I suggest we have a call so that we can work to increase your revenue by leveraging the 4000 on-net buildings?
Cable over-builder, WOW! has been attacking the SMB market. WOW! Business will launch 110Mbps x 15Mbps Business Internet in some Southeast cities.
Pivot Media has a consumer study about Gigabit Broadband called Giga What?. They also wrote an article about the DSL is the new dial-up.
17 percent of all Americans (55 million people) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps service.
Just to maintain or retain revenues (and government subsidies), network upgrades will be required. G.fast has launched in Europe, just not here yet.
To get 25x3 service to most of America will take ingenuity, innovation, some cooperation, lots of investment capital -- and even then there are issues with bridging the Digital Divide. As Google blogs here, to cross that divide, people need to be able to afford it (while wages in the US are stagnant that will be tough); people need a reason to buy it or to be educated about the things that Gigabit broadband empower the user to do (more than just Facebook and cat videos); "Show people why the Internet matters" and then teach them how do use the Internet. That is a lot of components. These network upgrades are solving the Digital Divide. These network upgrades are to get more money out of current customers (and maybe retain a few customers).
