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ISP’s provide broadband internet connections using either copper wire or fibre optics. The future of broadband is likely to be based more on fibre-optic connections rather than the copper wire. Fibre-optic technology is able to deliver significantly higher band width than the broadband currently available with copper wire. Next Generation
Access (NGA) is all about the future of broadband. There is certainly room for improvement but in comparison to the dial-up connection and other alternatives, todays broadband is a god-send to many people. The NGA is defined by Ofcom as: “Broadband services that are capable of delivering sustained band widths significantly in excess of these currently available using existing local access infrastructures or technologies”. The NGA developments are not only taking place in the UK but across the world, including Japan, America, Korea,
France,Spain,Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland. They will all be based on fibre-optic technology. There are variations of the fibre-optic connections. You can use a fibre-optic connection directly to the premises (FTTP) or an alternative is to provide fibre-optics to a cabinet places about 1,000 meters from the premises (FTTC). In the UK the cabinets are painted green to act environmentally aesthetically pleasing to the eye. FTTP is by far the better option but is significantly more expensive than FTTC. NGA is not purely about the speed of broadband connection but it will have to look at reliability as well. Cost and the capability to expand in the future with good service quality are also very important.
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