Microsoft discontinue Xbox 360 model to combat the PS3?
There is an interesting rumor circulating the Web today indicating that Microsoft may be planning on discontinuing one of the Xbox 360 models. This rumor actually sounds plausible as there are many reasons why Microsoft should cancel one of the three available models out there. The most plausible reason why Microsoft could be discontinuing one of the models is to combat the PS3 this year.
Microsoft currently has three Xbox 360 models in production with the Arcade, Pro and Elite. The Arcade is the most economical currently with barely any add-ons such as a hard drive. The Elite ($400) is the most expensive, costing as much as a PS3 ($400) console.
According to the rumblings around the Web, Microsoft may be targeting the Elite model to be discontinued. Personally, this makes the most sense not only from an economic perspective but from a competitive stance. Does it really make sense to have an Xbox 360 model that costs as much as a PS3, which comes with a Blu-ray player?
I suspect if you were to look at Microsoft’s sales breakdown, the Arcade and Pro make up the bulk of the sales while the Elite only contribute to a small percentage of the total. Also with the state of the economy this move would slim down the Xbox lineup reducing overhead.
Originally, I predicted that Microsoft would eliminate the Arcade model because of the lackluster configuration. However, if the rumors are true then it seems like the PS3 and the economy may have played a larger role Microsoft’s decision.
Microsoft execs also believe that Sony will implement a price cut in the near future as well. This could be a counter measure against the PS3 without actually dropping the price. If the Elite model ($400) is to be dropped, Microsoft could then really use the price card against Sony. Only time will tell if this is just another baseless rumor or if the insider source is legitimate, but it definitely is on the plausible side.
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March 7th, 2009
it’s just a matter of time before they discontinue all of the shitboxes
March 7th, 2009
Microsoft shouldn’t have never enter the gaming world it was just a waste of money and time. Sony is the true gaming god the leader of all the gaming world. Xbox 360 has nothing to offer in 2009 is just emptiness. Xbox 360 owners are switching to PS3 now.
March 7th, 2009
Elite is the only x360 that’s worth a shxt. The others just cost gobs extra to get them upgraded, and MS probably makes more selling upgrades than top notch consoles anyway, so why not kill Elite?
Ivan: what ARE you smoking?
March 7th, 2009
The finest WEED why you want some. All Xbox 360 are garbage that’s why is lagging in quality and software and features and add-ons. Microsoft can’t decide what to do with the Xbox anymore they desperate. First they copy Nintendo’s wack Mii now they trying to copy Sony too.
Microsoft follows,steals and copies this companies always but they fail all the time miserably, Sony, Nintendo, Apple, Google, Mozilla, Linux and Adobe.
March 7th, 2009
@Ivan
No they are not switching to Ps3 man!!
They are still playing HALO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bet most of em even forgot what it feels like to play a new game.
March 8th, 2009
They wish Xbox is more dead than anything.
March 8th, 2009
I’ll take some of that weed Ivan.
The Elite is probably the most profitable Xbox, so Microsoft must be going to lose some solid margin should it be discontinued.
Maybe we are beginning to see the effect of the games that Sony has coming out over the course of this year. After all, Microsoft recently proclaimed of a “new wave” of 360 games, yet gave no elaboration, and now a rumour of a price cut on their most profitable console.
I can’t believe Microsoft has anything big lined up and that they’re keeping it a secret; after all, they told us in 2006 that GTA would get DLC; and they showed off Alan Wake in 2005….and aside from Lost Planet 2 — which isn’t even confirmed exclooosive — there are no big exclusives lined up, and they’d have to fork out serious money for third party deals.
The race isn’t over yet…well for second place anyway…
March 8th, 2009
The choice of wording in these headlines just goes from bad to worse. Why not just be honest with yourselves and write:
“Microsoft discontinue Xbox 360, alien eats baby”
Always followed by the stimulating and informed conversation spewed forth by insecure, attention starved PS3rd fanbois.
March 8th, 2009
The Elite is not $400.
I just got mine, brand new, for £135 /$190 US/ $297AUS.
I have read that they are not actually ‘dropping’ anything at all, they are just going to go with the Resident Evil 5 idea and make all Elites short-run limited edition models in future.
The 120gb drive will continue to be available as an upgrade for those who need the size.
DavidB
Enlighten us.
Wjhat exactly is it that you imagine the Elite has over the 60gb Pro (excepting HDD size) that makes it “the only x360 that’s worth a shxt”?
What upgrades do you have in mind when you say “The others just cost gobs extra to get them upgraded”?
Contrary to the PS3 fanboy claims you do not need an ‘official’ wireless adaptor
(which does not come with the Elite anyways).
March 8th, 2009
Ha!
Just seen it, too true chillyfish.
Love the ludicrous wild claims about 2nd place.
What was it……oh yeah –
even if PS3 sales doubled and Xbox sales stood still it would take until 2012 for the PS3 to catch the Xbox sales numbers so far.
Dream on fanboys.
March 8th, 2009
Given its lack of future proofing, by 2012 360 sales probably will be stood still.
But that’s okay, Microsoft should have released the Xbox WiiStation by then.
March 8th, 2009
“future proofing”
LMAO
The ad-men must soil themselves laughing when they hear BS like that.
There’s no such thing. Wake up.
March 8th, 2009
Happy, open your mind. Take the PS2.
Do you think that the PS2 would still be around today if Sony had gone with the dominant media of the time, CD, instead of DVD?
CD as a media was probably at its peak circa 2000 (785 million CD’s sold in 2000; 361 million in 2008), and DVD was certainly no way near the dominant format that it has become, or rather became.
Sony going with DVD is evidence of future proofing right there, because they could have easily gone with the cheaper to produce CD.
But doing so would have meant that the most popular selling game other a Nintendo one, GTA: San Andreas, would have had to ship on some 4 CD’s….I know 360 owners say they don’t mind disc swapping, but swapping a disc on GTA? That would have been no fun at all.
It’s inevitable that the PS2 will be retired in the next couple of years; and if the world’s best selling console can’t continue to survive with DVD, how is Microsoft hoping to combat the next few years (which it says itself will be the longest generation) with the same format?
Of course, the other scenario is that they do make it through, but companies like Rockstar will have to limit what they can with GTA, just to appease the space constraints of the 360….just like did with GTA 4.
Then it’s everyone who loses out.
“One of the problems with the 360, and it affects games like Grand Theft Auto if you think about how much content we put in the actual machine, is the fact that they don’t have a significantly larger storage medium than the previous systems. It’s a slightly bigger DVD disc,” Sam Houser, Producer, Grand Theft Auto.
March 8th, 2009
@ chillyfish,
You sir are 100% correct! What I don’t understand is how these PS3 fanboys are still insisting that their console of choice is going to overtake the 360 in sales. It’s going to be rather difficult for them to do that when they are being slapped around like a red headed stepchild by the 360 in monthly sales. Maybe by the time my daughter hits her teens the PS3 might have closed the gap?
Kevo, so you’re saying that your machine is getting beaten by a ’shitbox’? So what does that make your machine then??
March 8th, 2009
lock_down
Guessing that DVD was the coming thing is hardly an example of ‘future proofing’ – especially not at the launch price the PS2 was at.
In fact I really can’t think of anyone (besides the handful of games I knew at the time) who bought a PS2 for it’s DVD.
For most it was meaningless and they bought a lower priced standalone device.
The same thing is happening with Blu-ray (although it is quite obvious by now that it will never become ‘the next DVD’ in the mass-market).
Nevertheless the point stands, barring an occasional happenstance (and a stretch regarding disc media really is the best you can come up with) there is abosultely no such thing as ‘future proofing’ except as an ad-man’s slogan to gull the feeble-minded.
Like I said, wake up, no matter how much you wish it were otherwise there really is no such thing.
……and even on the matter of disc media?
It’s so last century.
Streaming and downloading (they are not the same) are so obviously the future.
I should know, I’m getting my 16mb – 24mb connection tomorrow.
Enough bandwidth to meet almost any practical current requirement (and with no cap and all for £17.50 a month / $24.70 US / $38.50 AUS).
….but I still wouldn’t dream of trying to describe it as ‘future proof’.
How the hell can anyone sanely make such a claim (other than obviously pulling it out their a$$ and talking patent cr@p)?
March 8th, 2009
“Streaming and downloading (they are not the same) are so obviously the future.”
Indeed. But more bandwidth is still needed to make that a ‘mass’ reality.
Soooooo, I have a question for any 360 owners here!
Has anyone ever spray painted their machine? I kinda want to make the thing black because the ‘white’ is started to just look kinda, well like a CRT monitor I used to own… I’m thinking of just going black
March 8th, 2009
@ harry
sony let them take the lead with lack of advertisements and the price but more complex games will make gears an halo look like wii games
March 8th, 2009
HHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA @ kevo. Oh wait…. you were serious?
March 8th, 2009
“Guessing that DVD was the coming thing is hardly an example of ‘future proofing’”
Umm, yeh. it was. A great example in fact.
And yes, so is your connection speed for now. 16mb – 24mb is far beyond most peoples actual bandwidth and probably will be for a while. Particularly in the US and UK.
Are you deliberately misinterpreting the meaning of ‘future proof’ so you can act like a dick to everyone here?
March 8th, 2009
btw harry! Your link is broken.
March 8th, 2009
Er…I didn’t pull it out of my ass did I…I gave you a quote from the producer of Grand Theft Auto, which you may or may not be aware is one of the most successful game franchises of recent times.
If you’re calling my argument against disc media a “stretch”, then the logical extension of your argument is questioning the comments of Sam Houser, who, as a statement of fact, was calling the space constraint of a DVD a “problem”; and when you start to argue against one of the most successful gaming producers, then it is you whose sanity is really in question.
March 8th, 2009
Royzy, really? Crap. Now I have to find something else stupid to link…
March 8th, 2009
How about now?
March 8th, 2009
Just testing if the gravatar thing worked…
March 8th, 2009
Ah yes, there’s Richard Simmons…
March 8th, 2009
why richard simmons? Did he help develop a wii game lol
March 8th, 2009
No, I just like his hair and leotard.
March 8th, 2009
Royzy -
Given that ‘future proof’ is a marketing tool used in the mass-media it’s fully intended to be ‘misinterpreted’, that’s it’s whole point for being, so that idiots will buy into the absurd notion of it.
lock_down -
IIRC the guy was giving an interview to a Sony outlet and they wanted him to ‘big up’ Blu-ray. So he did the best he could (which really wasn’t much at all).
Everyone knows loading to HDD & multiple DVDs is no big deal at all.
Especially when 3x DVDs exceeds the space on 1 x 25gb single layer Blu-ray (and they only use all that space for their boring FMV cut scenes) ….and is undoubtedly cheaper for all concerned.
But don’t worry about it, enjoy you year or two of ‘future proofing’ (LMAO).
…..when we get little flash drives in the next 2 or 3yrs with 6 x the bandwidth of Blu-ray and up to 2tb of space as an adjutant to streaming/digital delivery then you’ll be able to see how outdated, pointless and bulky disc based media is.
Future proof my a$$.
March 8th, 2009
happy take a look at killzone2, 2 gigs of memory per level at 60fps so much texture and little things that stick out not to mention the 32 player matches in multiplayer where gears could only fit a handful all thanx to blu-ray
March 8th, 2009
sony said god of war 3 was on track 4 release in 2009 guyz
March 8th, 2009
Oh dear, time to clear up another happyhockum bear trap.
“the guy was giving an interview to a Sony outlet”
1UP.com and EGM are Sony outlets are they? Since when?
Oh that’s right, they’re not. They are currently owned by Hearst Corporation, and before that they were owned by Ziff Davis Media; neither of which have any ownership or control by Sony.
What’s next?
“they wanted him to ‘big up’ Blu-ray.”
Of course they did, that’s why the cover story and all four pages of the interview were about GTA 4.
And furthermore, if you search through all four page of the interview, the word “Blu-Ray” is not mentioned. Not even once.
I fail to understand how someone can “big up” a product that was not mentioned once in a four page interview.
“…little flash drives….with 6 x the bandwidth of Blu-ray and up to 2tb of space as an adjutant to streaming/digital delivery….bulky disc based media is.”
How are flash drives going assist downloading? I must have missed the part where the world has ubiquitous, unlimited, “16-24mb” internet access.
Oh yeah that’s right, this transition is going to magically take place in the next two to three years, where in the UK at least, the Government is hoping for an astonishing 2mb broadband available to everybody……..by 2012.
“But don’t worry about it, enjoy your year or two of ‘future proofing’”
Actually, it will probably be about 8 more years given Sony’s insistence. Microsoft have yet to prove they can support console hardware for longer than 5 years.
But then building the thing proved challenging enough, why would long term support be any different?
March 8th, 2009
“hold me back” says lock_down lol nice nice lol
March 9th, 2009
lock_down
If you look you’ll see the term “IIRC”.
My recollection was that a few comments have been made (only by a handful) about how a single DVD can be limiting.
If this instance is not one of those cases then ok.
It still does not alter the fact that so few see DVD as any kind of credible limit.
My point about flash drive ( which you worked so hard to ignore) is that we are on the verge of storage (for those who really insist they will need it) far beyond anything a mere disc can offer.
Hope that clears that one up for you…..or are you still having trouble with it?
I’ve just bought a 16gb flash drive for less than what I paid for a 1gb drive 1.5yrs ago.
This is happening fast.
As for my net connection?
Actually it is happening (in the more populated areas) faster than you are claiming.
The 2mb minimum that the UK is aiming for which you speak about so derisively is a genuine universal minimum.
The fact is that in the more populated areas ‘up to 8mb’ is universal and within 12mths ‘up to 24mb’ is set to replace that as C21N technology is introduced and will be in place for 70% of the population.
That is the thing with all of those odd and slow sounding minimums, they take account of everything, not the true position for most.
According to recent reports the true average UK connection speed is about 3.6mbs -
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/features/brspeeds
the US is around 2.3mbs
http://www.webisee.com/2008/08/13/us-average-internet-speed-is-23-mbps-while-japan-has-63-mbps/
and Australia is about 1.7 (but this report is 9mths + out of date)
http://blog.broadbandguide.com.au/blogs/broadband_speed/archive/2008/05/29/australia-lags-world-with-1-7mbps-average-broadband-speeds.aspx
Of course all those speeds will be changed by the various ’stimulus packages’ Govs around the world are introducing (with long-tern projects in the national interest being prime the internet infrastructure is clearly a priority).
Love the day-dreaming that the PS3 is to be a prime consideration for another 8yrs.
Very funny.
Your dig about the 360 being replaced in 2yrs isn’t to me at all, actually.
I look forward to seeing a console appear that catches back up to where PC graphics are as both the 360 (with it’s ATi 1900 GPU) and the PS3 (with it’s Nvidia 7800 GPU) are so hugely out of date.
Of course a dedicated system can produce decent results (as both 360 & PS3 prove) but it is undeniable that their components are years old and being left far behind by PC cards.
I look forward to your comments when the PS3 still lags behind in 3rd place and is a full generation behind.
I guess you’ll still be waiting for the sales to take off?
March 9th, 2009
Happy,
Yes it can (and is) used as a marketing tool. Though it sounds likely you are denying that the idea behind ‘future proofing’ is real (and also taking it a little bit too seriously).
And flash drives taking over disc based media within 2 /3 years? Yerrr right… you can’t just stamp flash drives like disc based media. Nor is it as reliable. And it is incredibly expensive. Blu Ray would be like pennies in comparison. They have already tried it with albums.
Flash drives take over disc based media any time soon? No. Take over harddrives? Yes.
Nice pic harry! And I’m glad I knew better than to click your link at uni. Don’t think my lecturer would be a scat fan.
March 9th, 2009
Noones going to sell games on flash drives. It will always cost more than disc based pressed media.
The only way the flash disc idea can work would be if each next gen system came with one that you could sync with an in store kiosk to download a purchased game to it. Not everyone has the internet and wants an additional fee to play online so this would have to be the method. I’m not saying that downloading wont be possible, but rather you would need an alternate way also.
The used game market would be wiped out completely. Rentals would be controlled by the network (psn,live), Borrowing a friends game for the weekend will be a thing of the past.
Maybe Blu ray is a better idea than this scary future that Happyhockum wants to see.
March 9th, 2009
Roy, Aris, Jofamang, Mike Ferro, and anyone else…
In FallOut 3 when you complete the last of the Main Quests, can you continue on playing the game? Or does the game completely end? No spoilers please.
March 9th, 2009
game ends.
You can go back to your last save before completing the game if you want to play more of the side quests.
March 9th, 2009
Spoiler free answer:
No, the game returns you to the main menu. There is a ‘point of no return’ during the last mission, so don’t worry if you started it without realizing.
March 9th, 2009
Phranc beat me. Damn you.
March 9th, 2009
“game ends.”
Yes and that was the most sucky thing ever.
I still say Oblivion was superior in every way.
March 9th, 2009
Thanks to all! I haven’t started the Take it Back mission just yet, but I was wondering what options I have available. I only have a handful of side quests left. Knowing that the game does end, I might take my time with completing the game then.
SW, believe it or not… I actually missed Oblivion. I’ve heard so many good things about it. I’ll have it pick it up. While I do love the post apocalyptic setting, I would love to see what the developers did with a more traditional fantasy setting.
March 9th, 2009
Oblivion was just cool, but I’m a person that prefers playing games where I run over sweeping hills to cool orchestral type music
Plus the guilds were awesome and there was more stuff to do imo.
I do love post-apoc. movies tho
(And I think fallout was good too, just not as good as oblivion).
March 9th, 2009
Barnabe,
The big thing Oblivion has over Fallout is the setting. The world you travel is GORGEOUS, and you really get an awesome sense of exploration in this fantasy world they created.
I could never finish the game because the Oblivion Gates freaked me out. I don’t do “demonic.”
-Arvis
March 9th, 2009
Damn you Arvis. I had wrote a reply along the same lines, but I used demonic smiley faces. And thus my comment awaits moderation…
March 9th, 2009
phranctoast:
“Maybe Blu ray is a better idea than this scary future that Happyhockum wants to see.”
ER, you’re the only one inventing your own “scary future” all on your own here.
Actually you should see some of the controls that could be imposed on Blu-ray before saying such silly things.
BD+ alone has many aspects which are as worrying if not more worrying than anything you’ve mentioned here about flash drives and downloads.
If they chose to they could, right now, lock down and brick your networked machines for playing 2nd hand discs previously registered (without you knowing) on another.
Of course the future is digital distribution, wake up. It’s already happening on Xbox 360, PS3 and even HD TVs & HD receivers have begun to sprout network abilities.
For those that really need storage then HDDs right now cannot be beaten on size/cost and the next gen of flash drives for those wanting space-saving and the ultimate in portability leave old fashioned discs waaaaay behind in terms of bandwidth speeds and sheer capacity.
Blu-ray just took far too long and didn’t get adopted fast or widely enough.
The enormous gap between it’s, let’s be honest here, small niche as a movie format and it’s even more tiny place as a PC data storage media prove that.
It’s already being left behind in specs for those who want the best and besides, the public just don’t care enough about it even as a movie media.
March 9th, 2009
Barnabee Jones,
At the end of the last quest in Fallout 3 you are given a choice. One would be to go into the radiation chamber yourself and purify the water, or to send that blonde chick in. I sent the chick in. She purifies the water, she dies, you live, and the water in DC is purified. Then the closing monologue goes on about how selfish you were etc.
I hope I didn’t ruin anything for you… haha
March 9th, 2009
@ Royzy,
haha that site is disgusting. I couldn’t help myself.
March 10th, 2009
Harry,
All I saw was “At the end of FallOut 3 your giving a choice, you can either step into the radiation chamber”… And that’s all I read. Your post could be spoiler free, but I can’t take any chances. I’ll read the rest in a few more days.
March 10th, 2009
*laughs*
Barnabe, that’s all I read too!
-Arvis
March 10th, 2009
Didn’t mention games at all Happy. How unfortunate. Just blu ray and it’s ability to play movies. 90% of my topic was based on how they would distribute the flash games.
From reading what you said, I implied “silly things” yet you are more or less saying that I could brick my player by playing a rented movie in it….
OK.
Who’s arguing digital distribution? I believe it will be a great alternative…..for rental.
Pay per view and on demand service has been around for a decent amount of time. DVD’s a blu rays continue to sell.
I love when one persons beliefs are meant to reflect everyones. How do you know what the public wants. Three years ago the argument could be made that the public wasn’t interested in HD at all due to low HDTV sales. Now its practically the only type of TV you could purchase.
March 10th, 2009
I had to come back to check out this thread. I was careful to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and slowly work my way up…
I’m glad you have fast reflexes also Arvis. I hope Roy does too.
March 10th, 2009
I already knew unfortunately, I spoilt it when finding out how far I could go on the last mission before no return.
But thank you for your concern Barnabe! Harry you scat loving bastard.
Pre-ordered Resi 5 LE Edition earlier. And a headset for K2 (because DWH wouldn’t shut up about it).
March 10th, 2009
Las Plagas will get jooz!!
March 10th, 2009
“…within 12mths ‘up to 24mb’ is set to replace that as 21CN technology is introduced”
21CN will still not change [the significant] line deterioration for DSL technologies, meaning “up to 24mb” will still mean virtually nothing.
Look at the deterioration ratio of ADSL2+ (internode.on.net/residential/internet/home_adsl/extreme/) to see that after around 3Km, the signal reaches levels similar to that of ADSL. Not everybody lives within 3Km of an exchange.
Look at the Ofcom survey you linked to, “up to” is not “as is”, because if it was, the “60% of UK consumers [who] currently subscribe to packages promising speeds of up to 8 Mbit/s” would have 8mb internet as an actual throughput. But of course they don’t, because 60% of the population do not live right next door to the exchange to feel the benefit.
If 3.6mb is taken in correlation with average distance from the exchange, then ADSL2+ and 21CN are going to have very little effect in boosting network speeds for the country as a whole.
And after all, it’s not very fair to say that digital distribution is “the future”, and proceed to leave people in villages, towns and other non-populous areas pissing in the wind to contend with slow connections, which will still be the reality for millions, even after the transition to 21CN.
March 10th, 2009
Incidentally, I have to laugh when I see or hear the words “stimulus package”…male species have had a stimulus package since the dawn of time.
March 10th, 2009
I’m about 200 metres from the exchange, when I change to ADSL2 i’ll be downloading porn at a very fast rate.
March 10th, 2009
harry, we don’t need to know how fast your scat downloading will be going…
March 10th, 2009
phranctoast
Rightly or wrongly the way many game devs see it they cannot wait to move to a more secure distribution mechanism.
Everything you complained about they see as giving them a better chance of avoiding ‘piracy’ (personally I reckon they might do better selling games that aren’t so expensive, ludicrously derivative and short).
lock_down
In the end you’re just left holding up your idea of fairness.
Bit late for that.
The truth is that in the UK enough people do live with a few miles of their local exchange and speeds for most are going up.
Already we’re seeing Virgin launch up to 50mb connections, Be are doing up to 24mb connection and Sky are doing up to 16mb, to name a few…..and all happening independently of BT’s C21N program.
Cletus out in the hick sticks might be pi$$ed off at being left behind but after almost 30yrs of seperation and privatisation (of the Post Office & Telecommunications) it’s a little late to be expecting any one to care much about that.
The average is (as current figures show) for people to get almost half the current ‘up to 8mb’ standard.
The same will hold true with C21N and/or the rest (I know, my actual service has stayed at the same ratio on my faster connection, and why wouldn’t it, neither I nor the exchange moved).
18mb down & 1.0mb up.
Rock solid and very nice it is too.
March 10th, 2009
All of those connection speeds are probably based on ‘burst’ usage. I’d also love to see the contention ratios (probably 25 or 50-1 or so).
I do agree that DD is the future but your guess is as good as mine as to when.
March 11th, 2009
“In the end you’re just left holding up your idea of fairness.”
No Happy, I’m highlighting what will be a reality for many people who aren’t in populous areas and how they are going to have difficulty with this digital distribution future you are portending…but hey, you’re all set for it, so who cares about everyone else, right.
March 11th, 2009
worldpoliticsreview.com/Images/commentarynews/broadbandspeedchart.jpg
At what point do we say DD has taken over though? Since we already have direct digital download distribution (DDDD wahey) for a lot of things.
March 11th, 2009
lock_down
I won’t consider myself properly set for anything until we get fibre to the street junction box/cabinet (and the option to pay for a fibre hook-up to that box/cabinet).
If we really must stick with an asymetrical system then 100mb/10mb (as already seen in several parts of continental Europe, Asia, Japan and a few spots in the US & Aus) wil be well and truly the point at which I will consider myself ’set’.
Right now tho I am enjoying 18mb/1mb, damn but it’s a hell of a step up from before!
To think that only 5yrs ago we were successful in organising & petitoning for broadband in our town
(just a 1/2mb too!).
This will all happen much faster than some care to imagine.
5yrs tops I reckon (for the majority).
March 11th, 2009
“To think that only 5yrs ago we were successful in organising & petitoning for broadband in our town (just a 1/2mb too!).”
Sounds like good old BT. Tossers.
March 11th, 2009
It’s because I agree with your comments about fibre Happy that I don’t see how the UK is getting a solid infrastucture ready for the future.
If it will take until 2012 by BT’s estimates to get fibre into 10 million homes in urban areas, how long is it going to take to get everybody on fibre?
My local BT exchange is not scheduled to switch to 21CN until Q4 2011! And if it takes that long to get everybody on ADSL2+, it is going to take even longer to get everybody on fibre and set for a fully digital future.
VDSL is an alternative to fibre, but is unlikely given its cost and severe deterioration.
Having selected areas of the country on fibre and others left to contend on ADSL does not seem right or fair…especially if this fully digital future is become a reality within the next few years.
March 12th, 2009
Funnily enough I had reason to contact and have a chat with my old ISP today about my change-over.
Fibre is happening now (it’s mandated on all new build properties).
Fibre to cabinet (for the majority) will be a reality in 5yrs.
After that you will be able to either get or fund yourself (depending on the distances involved) fibre to the home.
It turns out that 100/10mb may well become common but it’s not the limit.
Altering light frequencies means even faster speeds.
They reckon they are currently working on their best connections @ 10gb!
It’s not true that your exchange is typical.
A large chunk of cuntomers go live on C21N on 31st of this month (and this continues throughout the year – check ‘Samknows’ for the latest dates).
The expected figure in the UK is 70% coverage by the end of Q4 2010/Q1 2011.