Canadian ISPs Using Fiber Will Soon Have to Share Networks

[Rune]

Source: http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/07/canada-orders-large-isps-to-make-fiber-available-to-competitors/

 

 

Following an extensive review, the CRTC [Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission] found that the large incumbent companies continue to possess market power in the provision of wholesale high-speed access services and is requiring that they make these services available to competitors.

 

 

It seems that the major network operators are objecting under the 'this reduces our incentive to expand' stance, but at this point it seems fairly official. The idea is to promote competition by allowing smaller service providers to operate with lower costs and thus charge lower prices.

[rtpb5642]

Good job Canada

[Xorbot]

I'm not too clear on the specifics, but Beanfield already has its own fibre optic network on the Toronto waterfront.

 

https://beanfield.com/high-speed-internet.html

 

Feel free to correct me on it... all I care about is that 100 mbit up/down unlimited for just $45/mo.

[nims0c]

I'm not too clear on the specifics, but Beanfield already has its own fibre optic network on the Toronto waterfront.

 

https://beanfield.com/high-speed-internet.html

 

Feel free to correct me on it... all I care about is that 100 mbit up/down unlimited for just $45/mo.

 

Didn't they lay the fibre themselves? Anyway, I think their service area is pretty limited.

[Xorbot]

Didn't they lay the fibre themselves? Anyway, I think their service area is pretty limited.

 

Definitely limited, but no problems for the people that live in that area.

[nims0c]

Definitely limited, but no problems for the people that live in that area.

 

Of course. I just wish it were available at my house! 

[Paranoid Kami]

I'm not too clear on the specifics, but Beanfield already has its own fibre optic network on the Toronto waterfront.

https://beanfield.com/high-speed-internet.html

Feel free to correct me on it... all I care about is that 100 mbit up/down unlimited for just $45/mo.

Lucky bastard.

[Rune]

Of course. I just wish it were available at my house! 

Here's to hoping it actually does encourage more laying of fiber lines with multiple companies agreeing to split the cost for fair usage.

[TopWargamer]

That blows. That just means that companies are gonna be lazy and be like "Yo dawg, hit me up with dat fiber optics." 

[dalekphalm]

That blows. That just means that companies are gonna be lazy and be like "Yo dawg, hit me up with dat fiber optics." 

What are you talking about?

 

This only affects TPIA (Third Party Internet Access) ISP's such as TekSavvy, Start, Distributel, Acanac, etc.

 

Basically, these companies lease lines and bandwidth from the incumbents who own the lines. They then resell that bandwidth as a retail ISP. The Incumbents are forced under Canadian Law to give TPIA's access to their DSL and DOCSIS cable infrastructure.

 

However, the incumbents refused to give the TPIA's access to their Fibre infrastructure, because of numerous reasons - mostly that it was a loophole and that technology wasn't mentioned in the original deal - their excuse was that it would limit their incentive to invest in new network expansion.

 

To be clear, the TPIA's have to pay the incumbents for access still. Most of the TPIA's can't build their own infrastructure for a number of reasons, including legal red-tape that gives the incumbents first priority to many given regions, and also including the fact that it costs literally millions to hundreds of millions to invest in a network, and most TPIA's are small family owned businesses - they would need to seek extremely wealthy investors that would be willing to wait for multiple years to even start to see a ROI.

[Deletive]

That blows. That just means that companies are gonna be lazy and be like "Yo dawg, hit me up with dat fiber optics." 

 

What are you talking about? 

 

It doesn't blow, because the cost of building Transit for smaller ISP is huge, we are dependent on transits. Looking at the costs of a startup ISP it's anywhere in the range of at or upwards of six digits. Those data centers to with switches, routers and servers are not free at all. Can you try getting 200k out of venture capitialist when it's just making more competition? No.  adding more cost to that to pay extreme royalties, working on old transit or building your own transit is even more out of the bucket before you start making money. It's hard to start an ISP let alone transit on top of that. No startup that succeeds is "lazy" that they demand transits without putting their own infrastructure into that mix and using those lines to reach cosumers.

 

What this allows smaller companies to do is build their infrastructure first in one city, then in others, later on building their own transit lines for growth. This also offers competition and lower internet prices for the consumers which I think is a complete win.

 

[KuramaTheCrimsonFoxa]

olds our internet is catching up to ya. Soon you wont have godlike internet because we will have it too!!!!!

[littlewicky]

I'm not too clear on the specifics, but Beanfield already has its own fibre optic network on the Toronto waterfront.

 

https://beanfield.com/high-speed-internet.html

 

Feel free to correct me on it... all I care about is that 100 mbit up/down unlimited for just $45/mo.

 

Holy crap!! I looked at their webpage and they offer 500 Mbit/s for $100 dang son!

[spbr]

Canada trying to kill their big ISPs, 

[Prophet of Entropy]

Canada trying to kill their big ISPs, 

not kill, just have the courtesy to give us a reach-around.

 

for those who don't get the reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wRHcfF1Sqs

 

Telus just put in fiber in my town this summer and our bill is about 240$ a month for basic phone and a 100/20 connection with no data cap

[spbr]

not kill, just have the courtesy to give us a reach-around.

 

for those who don't get the reference

 

Telus just put in fiber in my town this summer and our bill is about 240$ a month for basic phone and a 100/20 connection with no data cap

a nice little reach-around then 

[Jerakl]

Canada trying to kill their big ISPs, 

Which is excellent.

We're a first world country with third world internet

[Briggsy]

what they don't tell you is that the "last mile" for the big ISP's is still copper, at least in rural and suburban areas of Canada. 

[dalekphalm]

what they don't tell you is that the "last mile" for the big ISP's is still copper, at least in rural and suburban areas of Canada. 

"Last Mile" fibre runs (Also known as FTTN) - such as VDSL2+ and DOCSIS 3.0, are already available to TPIA's via mandatory access by the CRTC. Granted, the pricing regulations for the higher tier FTTN packages aren't as tight as lower ones.

 

This would be pure Fibre - FTTH/FTTP - through and through.

[Ifeagan]

Interesting news, but still not really significant.  I'll be interested when more of the big providers actually realize the market demand for fiber and expand coverage/invest in networks outside of the largest cities.  My city in southern Ontario has many older neighborhoods with all the telecommunications infrastructure above ground.  I actually talked to a bell service person about the possibility of fiber infrastructure in my neighborhood, he said maybe in 15 years...... great.

[rashdanml]

Hopefully this means more Fiber options in the west. Most of the big providers stick to Eastern Canada, and there are very few options in the West (and interior provinces). 

[Stomplar]

what they don't tell you is that the "last mile" for the big ISP's is still copper, at least in rural and suburban areas of Canada. 

there is nothing wrong with copper coax

[dalekphalm]

there is nothing wrong with copper coax

Copper is fine as an interim technology. But pure Fibre connections (FTTH) are objectively better in every way except the cost of installation.

 

I have a DOCSIS 3.0 (FTTN) connection, and yeah, it's pretty good. But FTTH would be better. Latency is another big reason to go FTTH. While the latency on FTTN is pretty good, and certainly better than traditional pure copper networks (ADSL, DOCSIS 2.0, etc), FTTH still blows it away in that regard.

[Stomplar]

i dont think there is such thing as a pure copper network. ive never seen one. i know TWC is a fiber network

[dalekphalm]

i dont think there is such thing as a pure copper network. ive never seen one. i know TWC is a fiber network

I'm not sure I understand your post. No modern ISP uses pure copper from end to end anymore. That hasn't been the case in like a decade...

 

All their backbones have been Fibre for years. The connections from the backbone to the local nodes in many places are still Copper though - including those of TWC. Only DOCSIS 3.0 or VDSL connections (Also known as FTTN - Fibre to the Node/Neighbourhood) have Fibre from the backbone to the node.

 

And then a true fibre connection - FTTH (Fibre to the Home) has fibre from the backbone all the way to your door.

 

20 years ago though, the entire network would have been copper.