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Bell Aliant Gigabit FibreOP Discussion

45K views 154 replies 43 participants last post by  habskilla 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Bell takes another major step forward today as Canada’s broadband communications leader with our announcement of the all-new Gigabit Fibe. The fastest Internet service available when it launches this summer, Gigabit Fibe will take full advantage of Bell’s powerful fibre network to deliver unmatched gigabit download speeds of 1000 Megabits per second or more.

We announced the new Gigabit Fibe service this morning in Toronto alongside our $1.14 billion project to further expand fibre to the home across Canada’s biggest urban centre. Bell’s Toronto project outpaces the much publicized rollout of Google Fiber and similar gigabit services in US cities, and none is faster than Gigabit Fibe. It’s the biggest single infrastructure project in Bell’s plan to invest $20 billion from 2015 to the end of 2020 in broadband fibre and wireless network expansion.

Bell’s Gigabit Fibe announcement is the result of our success in building fibre out across cities in Québec, Atlantic Canada and Ontario, highlighted by our extensive rollouts across Québec City; in Fredericton, the first city in North America fully connected with fibre; and in smaller communities like Sudbury and Peterborough.

Gigabit Fibe will be available this summer in approximately 50,000 of the 1.1 million locations planned for Toronto, and in many of our other fibre cities at the same time or over the next year. These centres include Québec City, locations in Montréal, Laval, Blainville, Gatineau, Joliette, Saint-Jérôme, Chicoutimi, Sherbrooke, Shawinigan, Vaudreuil/Valleyfield, Fredericton, Charlottetown, St. John’s, Halifax, Saint John, Moncton, Sudbury, North Bay, Peterborough and Kingston. As we continue our $20 billion network expansion, we’ll be announcing even more Gigabit cities.

To learn more about our Gigabit Fibe plans and the Toronto project, including our plan to donate Gigabit Fibe to the United Way Community Hubs in the city, please read today’s news release and visit Bell.ca/Fibe.

Fast fibre networks are the core of Bell’s increasing success in the marketplace and growing customer satisfaction with our TV and Internet services. The superior Fibe TV and FibreOP TV, have brought a better choice in television to consumers, and they’re responding. Bell IPTV services have grown every quarter since they launched, compared with significant and ongoing declines in traditional cable TV, quickly making Bell Canada’s second-biggest TV provider. We expect to be #1 this year.

Bell fibre is also winning the Internet. We are Canada’s biggest Internet service provider with approximately 3.3 million customers and we continue to build on our lead. Combined, Bell Canada and Bell Aliant gained more new Internet customers in 2014 and in Q1 2015 than any other company in Canada, and more than all our major competitors combined. Gigabit Fibe will take things even further by offering residential and business customers blazing fast data access speeds they can’t get from cable.

Broadband networks have transformed our company and they’ve transformed the way Canadians communicate by delivering superior services and premium content at faster and faster speeds, and an improved customer experience at every level.

Today’s announcement makes a clear statement about Bell’s return to leadership in Canadian communications, and how your execution of our 6 Strategic Imperatives is taking us forward. Thank you everyone for your dedication to making Bell better.

Edit by Dr.Dave: Fixed links, changed Bell internal site to public news release.
 
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#12 ·
That's just the way it goes in a "free market". Companies only provide lower prices where there is true competition. Look at the mobile market - big cities where Wind or Mobilicity are, you can get better deals from the big 3. In the rest of Canada, you can't. It's really the same thing here - why does BA keep jacking the speed up on our Fibre? Because Rogers (and others) keep trying to compete so BA says "stay with us... here's more speed".

I would imagine that the price for the GigaFibre will be somewhere between $400 - $500 per month. Hope it's a lot lower, but I doubt it will be in the range of $150. (Oooh... to dream)
 
#13 ·
It's even the same thing with TV channels. Aliant supports a-la-carte channel selection in the software, you can even see it in the setup menu of the current box. But you're only allowed to use it in Quebec.

Why? Because Videotron does it. Everywhere else, they're perfectly content to string people along with crappy bundles.
 
#14 ·
I agree. That's why Canada needs to dismantle protectionist controls for companies like Bell Aliant (actually Bell since the recent takeover.) When Canada gets real competition and not just competitors using infrastructure owned by Canadian companies, we will see some changes. We've already heard from Wind, who characterized Canada as the worst place in the world to do business. Bell Aliant's gigabit internet announcement means nothing until there is some real competition to ensure they provide the service promised at competitive prices.
 
#15 ·
I would suspect the chances of Google fiber coming to the Bell Gigabit areas will be zero. Google fiber mainly expands in areas that do not have a large FTTH footprint. They also tend to build in areas that have dark fibre they can leverage and close to their existing data centres. They are not in any Verizon Fios areas of the North East. Also Google has a business model that you can only get fiber during the initial roll out. That is how they keep costs down. You cannot order fiber after their initial rollout. You get one shot.

People always complain about a "lack of competition" in the telco/cable area. That is absurd, the whole reason Bell and Telus are deploying FTTH is to take market share from cable cos. Rogers removed caps and increased their speeds in NB because FibreOP is eating their lunch. Eastlink increased their speeds recently because FibreOP is taking market share from them. BA then increased their speeds yet again (I have lost count now of how many times) presumably in response to Eastlink speeds changing. How is this for competition: FibreOP 150/30 is $94.95 standalone and Eastlink (I am in NS so that is who I compare) has 150/10 for $112.95. Or better yet double your speeds to fibreop 300/30 for $109.95. Granted if you live in the boonies you are limited in choice, but that also applies to gas stations, grocery stores etc.
 
#16 ·
Compare that to Google gigabit FTTH in major US cities for $70/mo and $130 for internet plus TV. In response, Comcast is rolling out 2Gb internet at comparable prices. Now, compare that to what is available here and many other cities in SW Ontario. That's 5Mbps DSL with a 140GB cap for $54/mo or 60Mbps cable internet with a 200GB cap for $75 (plus undisclosed extra fees.) Bell hasn't upgraded their lines or service in over 10 years. You call that competition? Their are a couple of faster cable internet plans but they jump to $85+ for 100Mbps and $95+ for 250Mbps. Service reliability and response times are pitiful as well, typically taking 3 to 6 days to fix outages.
 
#18 ·
Service reliability and response times are pitiful as well, typically taking 3 to 6 days to fix outages.
As opposed to American cable customer service, right?

My best friend is American, and he's envious as hell of what BA offers up here. Google Fiber has a tiny footprint, and huge swaths of the US are covered by a cable company and nothing else above ADSL. Verizon stopped expanding FiOS to new areas, so Comcast owns that territory, and they act like the monopoly that they effectively are. There's a reason so many municipalities want to start up their own ISPs, and why the big telcos bribe state politicians with campaign donations to ban it.

The grass is actually pretty green for home Internet in the Maritimes, if you compare what we're getting to what the majority get elsewhere, rather than to where Google feels like throwing it's cash pile around.
 
#17 ·
I've said this elsewhere and I'll say it here:

Competition doesn't inherently bring change, a company willing to take a risk and do something different brings change.

I'd say that's even happened here - just not completely in the pricing front. Rogers originally didn't have unlimited, then it was an option, now it's standard for almost all tiers. Why? Not because they wanted to. Because BA has been different since the beginning with no caps and Rogers had to change. Would they say that? Probably not. They'd probably say "we were always planning to move to an unlimited model for the benefit of our customers".

As well - people always throw out the Google Fiber thing. Google isn't trying to compete. They're just trying something out and being different to try to instill change elsewhere. Are they making money? Maybe. In the big scheme of things Google Fiber is a drop in the bucket to them. They're an anomaly. Just because they can do it doesn't mean other companies can at a scale.

Don't get me wrong - I like the idea of Google Fiber and the price point. I have a friend who has it and he loves it. Do I think that the idea is plausible for a company that isn't Google? I'm skeptical. Do I think we'll see it? Doubt it. Do I want the Bell Aliant side of things to continue to change? Yup.

But *shrug*. We'll see what the future holds.
 
#19 ·
Just read a financial report that indicated that Bell will have to maintain pricing discipline to maintain a reasonable return on investment, indicating an ARPU of $20 per customer is required, so once the dust settles 1GPS may become the new "normal". It also indicated that Rogers can ramp up to 1GPS with relatively little cost.
 
#20 ·
That's my point exactly. Rogers can ramp up to higher speeds and unlimited plans in many areas quite easily but often choose not to unless another company like Bell Aliant comes along. Similarly, Bell Aliant (really Bell now) doesn't upgrade its networks either unless Rogers ramps up it's plans. I'm not saying the US is better but it does serve as an example of how market forces work. There are lots of examples, especially in the US, where competition has lowered prices and improved service. Bell Aliant's Gb upgrade is a good thing but there has to be competition to maintain the rollout to underserved areas and keep prices in check.
 
#21 ·
Rogers can ramp up, but do you want to live in the neighbourhood shared with a 100 homes? No thanks! At least with BA you are pretty much assured you are going to get what you pay for with the slow downs outside of the BA network.

Rogers may have attractive plans and pricing but they have a history of over subscribing their service. Right now, there are areas in Dieppe that are oversubscribed and people are leaving Rogers to BA and paying more money.
 
#22 ·
Isn't Fibe FTTC and FibreOP FTTH ?

Does it mean they plan to offer Fibe to other regions besides Qc and Ont?

If so, this would be good news for a lot of people who can't get FibreOp in appartment buildings...

It's time they get rid of DSL and offer a hybrid/fttc solution :grin
 
#24 ·
Hmm i didn't mean to get rid of the DSL technology per say but to upgrade it to FTTC. Right now you have a choice of old DSL product tiers, modems that can't handle much more than 30Mbps, etc., OR FibreOp.

So people that live in apt buildings that won't allow/pay for FibreOp have only once choice if they want more than 10-15Mbps, its to go with big red.
 
#26 ·
I think Aliant stopped rolling out FTTN/FTTC when they started FibreOP, since the cost is about the same. They may make an exception for apt/condo buildings where the management is being uncooperative, but it's hard to say.

You can expect new installations to be FTTH and gigabit.
 
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