Broadband in Europe: How Brussels Can Wire the Information SocietyBroadband is a key enabler of the information society, increasing productivity and competitiveness across all sectors of the economy. Unlike traditional n- rowband connections, broadband provides high speed, always-on connections to the Internet and supports innovative content and services. Direct consumer welfare gains from mass-market adoption of broadband across the EU could easily reach 50 billion euros or more per annum. This is quite apart from the more profound societal shifts that ubiquitous broadband could bring. It may allow the individual to distribute content and ideas independent of traditional media and bring together communities of interest without regard to borders. Public policy for broadband will have a big impact on whether and how quickly these bene?ts are realised. Getting policy right could bring large bene?ts for consumers, ?rms and the economy at large; getting policy wrong risks s- ?ing both the rollout of broadband and new innovative services, and thus the realisation of the EU’s e-Europe vision. In this book, we focus on the residential market for broadband access in EU countries, analysing the current and prospective level of competition and dr- ing implications for public policy. A key aim is to understand better the relative importance of facilities-based and access-based provision in fostering com- tition and promoting take-up of broadband services. |
Contents
Relative strengths and weaknesses of broadband | 13 |
Competition in broadband markets | 25 |
Access services and the broadband value chain | 32 |
Broadband subs per 1000 households end2002 | 38 |
Examples of alternative broadband platforms | 41 |
UK monthly suvscription charges for broadband | 50 |
New entry and market outlook 57 | 56 |
Alternative scenarios that could boost broadband | 75 |
Broadband penetration and facilitiesbased | 118 |
Appropriate policies for broadband regulation | 121 |
Conclusion | 143 |
German broadband subscribers Q4 2000 to | 152 |
Ireland | 157 |
DSL adoption curve and takeup in Ireland | 161 |
Swedish Broadband subscribers Q4 2000 Q4 2002 | 167 |
Selected Swedish broadband packages by speed | 168 |
Analysis of competition in broadband markets | 79 |
DSL and cable coverage in selected EU states and | 90 |
Broadband penetration platform competition | 111 |
Rank correlations between DSLBroadband | 116 |
G United States | 170 |
E UPC chello in nine European countries | 187 |
References | 203 |
Common terms and phrases
access prices access products access regulation access services access-based competition access-based entry ADSL areas backhaul bandwidth benefits bitstream access Bredbandsbolaget broadband access broadband market broadband penetration broadband provision broadband services broadband subscribers cable and DSL cable broadband cable companies cable modem cable networks cable operators chello CLECs competing ComReg consumers costs countries customers delivery platforms demand deployed deployment DSL and cable DSL services DSLAM entrants European euros example facilities-based competition FastWeb fibre networks FTTH Germany HanseNet ILECs incentives incumbent infrastructure investment innovation internet access Italy Kbps line sharing local loop unbundling market share Mbps mobile narrowband Netherlands NRAs OECD offer Oftel platform competition potential PSTN regulated access regulatory relevant markets resale residential retail roll-out satellite significant South Korea speeds strategy substitution Sweden technologies Telecom television unbundled lines unbundled local loops United Kingdom upgrading users value chain VDSL voice telephony WiFi wireless