FTTH Business Guide - AWT.be

In the context of a community network, the network owner may also wish to offer
local services. For example, a housing association-owned network may offer a
central system for booking landlord visits and building maintenance. A municipal
network could offer free access to public services, or local TV broadcasting.
Business
Many large corporations are already hooked into fibre-optic networks because
they have high bandwidth, high reliability and high security requirements that far
exceed those of the residential sector. As a result of their special requirements,
these large businesses are not usually linked directly to the same infrastructure as
residential customers.
However, research has found that there is a considerable market opportunity to
address the underserved lower end of the business market. Small and medium
size businesses can easily be served from a typical FTTH network. Even if your
network is consumer focused, it is worth considering whether to connect any
businesses that happen to be within your coverage area.
The technical network requirements for businesses may not be substantially
different for those for consumers, but you could consider offering service
packages tailored to the business user, with extra features such as uptime
guarantees, lower contention, and business-grade customer service. Speak to
local businesses to assess their needs.
Carrier
Studies suggest that “open access” policies, which allow third parties to offer their
services on the network, can enhance the business case, particularly if you are a
new player in the retail market place. Getting established, respected internet
service providers to offer their products over your network can be an effective
means of increasing your overall market penetration. Therefore, if you plan to
adopt the vertically integrated model, consider also opening up your network to
wholesale customers.
The roll out of optical fibre into the access network on a greater scale has further
advantages for other networks such as mobile. Mobile broadband currently offers
download speeds of 10Mbps to users through such technology as HSPA. The next
generation of mobile broadband based on LTE or WiMAX is currently being rolled
out, and has the potential to offer 100Mbps or more. With multiple users the
base station connectivity requirements are likely to exceed the capability of
current microwave backhaul systems. Further, the increased bit rates will require
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