Timico is an independent UK Internet Service Provider (ISP) that was founded in 2004 by a team of senior industry players with a view to becoming a major force in the provision of communications services to businesses. In the space of just 6 years Timico has swelled to include 140 staff, a turnover of circa £30 million and over 10,000 business customers.
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The company is at once a broadband ISP, a mobile service provider and a fixed line provider and has since become an increasingly recognised player in the market. Despite its business focus, Timico is also an active campaigner in the drive to improve the country's aging broadband infrastructure. In particular Timico's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Trefor Davies, runs an influential industry blog - http://www.trefor.net - that frequently offers unique insights into the inner workings of an ISP and wider industry policy. We have sought to kick off our annual ISP interview season by chatting with Davies about the years main events, from next generation broadband rollouts to the thorny issue of internet copyright infringement and enforcement measures.
Q1 - The UK government recently delayed its target of 2012 for making a minimum broadband download speed of 2Mb (Megabits per second) - Universal Service Commitment (USC) - available to everybody in the country, instead pushing it back to 2015. What is your perspective on this target (speed and date); do you think the original 2012 timetable was ever achievable (expensive quick-fix Satellite solutions notwithstanding)?
Q2 - Should the USC also be considering other factors, such as upload speed, affordability, flexibility (usage allowances) and latency performance?
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