Shanghai Firm to Break "Last Mile" Broadband Monopolies
Oriental Morning Post, 9/08/11
The newly-established Shanghai Jianzhu Communications Network announced at a recent Shanghai FTTH deployment meeting that it will soon begin conducting "last mile" public bidding in trial areas of Shanghai in order to provide residents with a choice of internet access providers.
Real estate developers frequently choose a single telecom operator to exclusively provide internet access in new residential complexes, leaving residents unable to switch providers even if they are unsatisfied with pricing or service.
As of the end of August, 3.24 mln households in Shanghai had been converted to FTTH broadband, exceeding this year's target of 3 mln. FTTH coverage is expected to reach 5.5 mln by the end of 2012, with full 100% coverage by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).
Editor's Note: According to China Youth Daily, the Shanghai municipal government issued "Technical Specifications Regarding Communications Engineering and Technology in Residential Construction" on August 1, 2011. The regulations specify that newly constructed residential buildings must have FTTH installed before becoming commercially available to avoid damage to walls and other structures as happened during FTTH conversion efforts in older buildings.
Jianzhu Communications general manager Chen Feng said that in the future, newly constructed residential complexes will be wired to provide broadband services from all of China's major operators before tenants move in, so that any resident who is dissatisfied with their existing carrier can simply switch.
Keywords: Jianzhu Communications broadband subscribers Chen Feng coverage broadband telecom Shanghai Municipal Government FTTH Internet access 12th Five-Year Plan fiber optics regulation
Sending
