So,

A client eventually gets accepted for a fibre to his site, subsidised, via a Network(who shall remain nameless) whose remit is to improve communications networks to rural areas.

Effectively, to work within the networks funding rules, the client becomes a 'mini' ISP.

The hope is that this will encourage investment and  firms to move, or stay in rural areas.

The deal is a no-brainer, the subsidy opens up new areas of potential business, without it, they are not viable, even after the subsidised period, the fibre will remain and could be used for access to an ISP with clue.

Whats the problem ?

To work effectively as this 'mini' ISP, it would seem sensible to have at least two connections to the outside world. One breaks, the other takes over the traffic seamlessly.

For this, you would use BGP, and get each provider to announce your routes to the outside world..
I presumed, wrongly, that an entity who task it is to improve communications networks, would have some clue as to why this is a good idea.

Not so, it looks like it is 'all or nothing', no way of having redundancy, no way to make the changeover seamless. Arrggh.


Add to that, no immediate intent to embrace IPv6, last check predicts that Ripe will allocate to the RIR's the last /8's before Christmas.  All the IPv4 IP's left are then in the hands of the RIR's, and, Will Get Scarce.

So, instead of looking forward and planning for the future, the client is hobbled by a slightly backward looking supplier.

Fibre for all ?

BT are shouting about their fibre roll out, great, but, all the areas getting FTTC are pretty well covered by Virgin Media with their so called 'Fibre Broadband' I will pull that apart another time.

So, do BT want to install FTTC just to compete with VM ? If so why ?


How about doing something about those rural areas covered by Market 1 exchanges ?.

Lots of shouting about investment in rural business, but unless these areas get connected, no chance of any firms wanting to be outside the town centres.

Lots of rural exchanges have aging copper cables to the local cabinets, why not replace this with fibre now ?, it's cheaper in the long run.