Posted: 08th Aug, 2007 By: MarkJ
One of the BBC's technology correspondents, Rory Cellan-Jones, has done an interestingly editorial on the differences between broadband speeds and pricing in London (England) versus that of Paris (France).
It may be far from an accurate comparison of overall services, yet the report does appear to find that the grass is looking very much greener over the channel:
But something even faster is on its way. Beneath the streets of Paris two companies, France Telecom's
Orange and Free, are laying down fibre-optic cables to bring speeds of up to 100Mbps to homes in parts of the city. Fibre-to-the-home, as it is known, is viewed as far too expensive a solution in the UK.
When I try it out with my laptop I find I'm only getting around 22Mbps - but then I am using a wi-fi connection, which would curb the speed, and there is a high-definition television online using some of the bandwidth.
So far just two thousand people have signed up to the fibre service, which costs 45 Euros a month (£30) for the internet connection, a 51 channel television service and unlimited phone calls. But
Orange is aiming for up to 200,000 customers by the end of 2008.
So far as ordinary broadband services go, one example highlights a service in Paris that costs the equivalent of £10 per month for 11Mbps and free phone calls. Say no more.
Apparently the low take-up of digital television has helped to promote a new generation of TV services that are being delivered by ever faster Internet connections. It doesn't hurt that most Parisians live in apartments either, which are cheaper to reach than houses. The full piece is well worth a read -
HERE.