Avanti Communications Share Discussion Threads

[malcolmmm] 12/12/2010 00:50

This technology has been around for years and is unproven , the government know about it and have invested large amounts of money into Avanti.The White Spaces Coalition began to come together in the fall of 2006
Professor William Webb, head of research and development at Ofcom ,this technology remains largely unproven and a significant amount of work needs to be done before these claims can be tested."

[yorgi] 11/12/2010 21:40

Or mine Goldman.......

[goldman] 11/12/2010 21:26

Where's all this talk of new alternative methods for delivering broadband come from all of a sudden. I'm sure the management of Avanti will have been keeping an eye on any possible competition, they aren't blind.
Sounds to me that someone's after a drop in Avanti's share price, in order to get some for themselves, well they won't be getting any of mine, that's for sure.

[bonnard] 11/12/2010 19:40

Dylan...Good point. Avanti have designed their satellite specifically for broadband use unlike TV transmitters that are not at all equipped to receive signals.

[dylanl] 11/12/2010 19:03

To even the argument a bit...



Whitespace looks to be riddled with contention and there are big questions on whether the technology actually works. I suppose nothing beats a cable at the moment but suspect satellite technology is ahead of white space as it is out there and working and doesn't rely on geography as much. Most/a lot rural areas are hilly and using tower based technology will not be as good/relaible as satellite (demonstrated by the fact that a lot of rural areas can't get a TV signal). Would be nice if there's anyone out there with a bit of knowledge on the subject as all we're seeing is links to biased websites (probably me included).

Bonnard, you asked about how Avanti will send data back - yes I think people will need to use some sort of tfansmitter but I'm sure that will come as part of the deal. Just didn't understand how the whitespace technology would deal with two way communication when all the kit is designed for broadcast only.

[morgan freedman] 11/12/2010 17:59

DeltaR-oddly enough I find your posts rather similar to those of superg1 so, just in case, I`m going to filter you as well.

[deltar] 11/12/2010 17:51

Morgan Freedman - I am grateful to Superg1 - his posting helped me to find this
Arqiva and Alcatel-Lucent trial LTE for rural broadband in UK
• Trial in West Wales demonstrates the ability of LTE technology to deliver
high-speed broadband to rural communities
• Network can deliver speeds of over 50Mbit/s using 800MHz spectrum, freed
up by digital TV switchover
• Neutral-host business model represents an economic means of delivering
broadband to the last digitally excluded 10%
1
of UK households
Arqiva, the communications infrastructure and media services company, and Alcatel-Lucent,
(Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), today announced a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless
technology trial in the Preseli Mountains, West Wales. The trial demonstrates the economic
and technical viability of a neutral-host wireless network as a route to extending broadband
Internet services to areas with no broadband coverage ('notspots') and those with speeds
lower than 2Mbits/s throughout the UK, estimated at 10% of UK households
1
.
This is the first live LTE trial in the UK to use the 800MHz spectrum freed up by digital TV
switchover and can deliver speeds of over 50Mbit/s. The Preseli Mountains area has
already switched to digital TV and combines low population density with dispersed
communities, making it typical of areas that can't be reached economically with the existing
fixed networks.
Alcatel-Lucent has been selected to support 58 LTE trials around the globe and has secured
commercial contracts with seven customers including two of the largest operators in the
world. As a market leader in LTE, Alcatel-Lucent is ensuring that the trial provides a full
fixed and mobile broadband experience to end-users. [Paragraph updated 10 December 2010]
Arqiva's neutral-host network solution would offer wholesale access to all service providers
and new entrants. This approach extends the reach of the fixed networks while at the same
time maintaining competition at the service layer - ensuring that consumers retain choice

1
Britain's Superfast Broadband Future – Department for Business Innovation & Skills (Dec 2010)
1 8 December 2010
Arqiva and Alcatel-Lucent trial LTE for rural broadband in UK
2
and benefit from service innovation. Shared infrastructure, combined with a single network
interconnect, provides the service provider with a far more cost-effective means of accessing
a potential market of up to 2 million households.
Commenting on the announcement Lakh Jemmett, Alcatel-Lucent's President, North Europe
said: "LTE technology offers the potential to accelerate the availability of broadband services
to individuals and businesses that do not have access to services that many of us take for
granted. It also paves the way for access to a plethora of new applications."
Steve Holebrook, Managing Director of Arqiva's Government, Mobile & Enterprise business
added: "Arqiva's heritage in rolling-out projects of critical national infrastructure is matched
by our long-standing commitment to providing solutions that are universal in their delivery.
We firmly believe that the combination of LTE technology, the 800MHz spectrum and a
neutral-host commercial model is the best way of providing rural communities with
broadband quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively."
The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), in line with Arqiva's analysis, recently declared
that universal broadband coverage cannot be solved by one technology alone, and
recognised the 'integral role' that wireless will play
2

[bonnard] 11/12/2010 17:26

Dylant. You ask about how broadband users would transmit data back to the TV towers. But I have the same question about Hylas. How will our computers transmit back to the satellite. Will we need a satellite dish? If it is necessary to but receiving and transmittinng equipment, then this will reduce the take-up of customers for Hylas.

[deltar] 11/12/2010 17:16

The technology looks promising and is opening up a new competitor in the broad-band market-place

[blue forever] 11/12/2010 17:12

I`ll second that!

[deltar] 11/12/2010 16:34

This looks like it is spreading fast (Australia/Canada/Europe) - not to be underestimated IMHO

[superg1] 11/12/2010 13:28

Not something to be ignored and overlooked as many countries already have a full infrastructure for Analogue use.

Is this technology in Avanti's competitors risk assessment.????

[paleje] 10/12/2010 14:54

I look at HB comments from time to time but they get it wrong as often as they get it right. Their expertise in telecoms firms - well on 10 Nov they issued a BUY for NCON with target of 97. Today NCON issued a terrible trading update and the share price at one point was less than half that target. Enough said.

[share_shark] 10/12/2010 14:52

Hello there yorgi and you ae so darn right about the snow !. ;-(.

Further to my comments on HB, just guess whose broker was telling her, what a marvelous company AVN was ?. ;-)

[yorgi] 10/12/2010 14:06

Good Afternoon Share Shark good to see you I thought you had fallen of the edge of the world this last week......or stuck in a snow drift :-)

Not fretting here at all.....as you might expect and your comment re HB makes complete sense to me. With all things one has to think not about what is said, but what isn't said and what are the motives behind it.

[share_shark] 10/12/2010 13:52

Guys and gals fret not. Permit me to say something here.

You have to understand that HB recommended AVN, to their clients in the early days. Now to justify their existence,profits,commission and churning fees,they are recommending a sell. Do you not think they have another "buy" on their books for their clients who might be selling AVN ?. Of course they have. I should know I am one of their clients but I never use them for advisory stocks or should I say buy their recommendations.

Dont let them scare you. Make your OWN decisions.

[smudgeroo] 10/12/2010 13:37

Second that Julcester. I've never trusted them since the old days in EME when they were house broker and consistently drove the price down day in day out.

Looks like someone wants in cheap.

[dylanl] 10/12/2010 13:36

What about sending data back to the towers, surely this has to be considered as well?

[yorgi] 10/12/2010 13:30

So well put Julcester and with such subtlety :-) For what it's worth I tend to agree

[julcester] 10/12/2010 13:29

Before people start getting ready for broadband-over-analog they need to be aware that many of today's existing analog terrestrial broadcast towers are not being maintained in the conversion to digital.

Whether those broadcast towers will continue to transmit signals for wireless broadband remains to be seen.

If there is a commercial opportunity they might be converted, or if the government decides they are useful for the NBN they could make up the crucial "last mile" access to 7 per cent of the population.

Another thing to consider is cost and practical bandwidth. If those two factors are no better than satellite, then it's unlikely to take the home market by storm.

I just confirmed with my colleague Tim Lohman that the ratio of "12Mbps per 1000 homes" is correct. That speed, while symmetrical, is not really broadband, it's dial-up.

Even if you consider a conservative use case of 10 per cent of people on the network concurrently, it's 100 homes competing for 12Mbps.