Paris leaps ahead with broadband

With debate around the world, and in particular in Australia with a federal election due (most likely) later this year, about high-speed broadband, there’s an interesting story on BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight (Tuesday, 8 August) on what’s happening in France, or rather, Paris.A fibre-to-the-home network is being built, with France Telecom and Free offering download speeds of up to 100mbps.The story notes British Telecom says to build such a network in the UK is prohibitively expensive and they can’t afford it.In France, with the take-up of digital television low, a fibre-to-the-home network is used for digital TV. From a business perspective, an internet start-up company offering television over the internet is profiled who have based themselves in Paris, saying Paris is the only place for them to be to be able to demonstrate their product.While other countries (Scandinavian countries and Singapore for example from memory) offer networks with similar speeds, or are in the process of doing so, TechNewsReview believes this is the first G8 country offering such a network. It also makes a mockery of the current government proposal down under for broadband access for all.The programme is available online for about a week here. The story commences around the 20 minute mark.

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