BPN 1339 FTMH - The vote for fiber is yes

The meeting of the owners’ association was disappointing. There was no representative of AlmeerNet. In one or another way I had misinterpreted the point on the agenda. No representative to answer my four questions.

So the members of the owners’ association were asked to vote in favour of a motion, whereby AlmeerNet can link every apartment to the mainline. Voting for this motion was easy. It does not cost anyone a dime; besides the apartment is easier to sell with a link to glass fiber than without. The motion was passed with a large majority. Next step in the project will be the linking.

It brings closer the question, which company to choose. So far there were three parties involved: UPC, AlmeerNet and KPN.
UPC is the incumbent cable operator which has upgraded its cable network to fiber, but the optical cable ends in the headstations (Fiber to the Curb). The last mile consists of coax/copper cable. The UPC upgrade allows speeds of 25, 60 and 120Mbps with a Eurodocsis cable modem. For the 120Mbps connection UPC asks resp. 50,50, 60,50 and 80,50 euro a month, exclusive of telecom and radio and television..
AlmeerNet runs the open network. They do not deliver the services to the subscribers, but keep the network going technically. AlmeerNet is an initiatiive of the Almere Fiber Consortium, consisting of the municipality Almere, the housing corporations Goede Stede, Ymere, Alliance Flevoland and Reggefiber (51 pct majority by KPN).
KPN is a service provider to AlmeerNet. It will offer telephone, television and internet. Other services such as security will also be offered in the future. KPN offers three speed packages of 30, 50 and 60 Mbps download with 3,5 and 6 Mbps upload for the price of resp. 65, 80 and 110 euro, including free telecom traffic and resp. 50, 70 and 100 tv channels.

New is the announcement of Online as provider for AlmeerNet. Online is the latest platitudinous name for the former Orange broadband service; Online is part of the joint venture Orange and T-Mobile. So far Online has offered ADSL and cable services; now it has added fiber subscription. However the offer of Online is not known yet. Besides more service providers would be welcome, preferably with smaller TV channel offers (who can watch 100 channels a day; ridiculous).



Looking at the table there are two remarks. UPC makes an offer for fast internet, exclusive of a required basic TV package and optional telecom. KPN makes an offer for less fast internet, but inclusive of television and telecom. These are however the offers on internet. UPC and KPN have introduction offers. In Almere, UPC and KPN have now special offers. Both companies play with the television and telecom extras.

And there are more differences such as the speed. UPC offers 120Mbps, while KPN offers 60Mbps as maximum on AlmeerNet for our neighbourhood. This is strange, for I know for sure that a month ago KPN offered 100Mbps. There is still another difference in the speed. UPC offers internet from a headstation to more subscribers in the same area. AlmeerNet and her providers like KPN and Online offer a one-to-one connection to the subscriber. This means that the UPC speed will vary depending on the number of users, while the AlmeerNet speed will be stable.

Blog Posting Number: 1339

Tags: fiber, cable