1MB for everyone

[hychamaz]

What does the new law stárting next July mean as on YlE? Everyone can get 1MB but is there a limit on cost??? Will it cost me 200 euros a month at my summer cottage far North Easr in Savo??? What does this realllyu mean. (Hank maybe u know more about this than cars).

[Jukka Aho]

What does the new law stárting next July mean as on YlE? Everyone can get 1MB but is there a limit on cost??? Will it cost me 200 euros a month at my summer cottage far North Easr in Savo??? What does this realllyu mean.

Here’s the original communication from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Basically, 1 Mbps service (at minimum) is elevated to the status of “universal service”. (This “universal service” is a specific concept defined in the EU directives, as it appears.)

The telecommunications companies designated by the authorities as being responsible for offering “universal service” in the country must be able to provide at least 1 Mbps Internet connections to their customers beginning from July 1st, 2010. This minimum level of connectivity needs to be available to both private homes (residential buildings) and to companies (normal business premises at fixed locations) at “a reasonable price” and with certain guaranteed quality of service (at least 75% of the required bandwidth during a 24-hour measurement period and at least 50% of the required bandwidth during a 4-hour measurement period.)

This is not to say that you couldn’t subscribe to slower and cheaper-rated service if you don’t need 1 Mbps, but the 1 Mbps option needs to be available to you in case you’d want to subscribe to it.

[Jukka Aho]

This article has more details. The act concerns sparsely populated areas outside the cities and towns. It applies to permanently inhabited residences for individuals and active points of presence for businesses – not each and every summer cottage or storage shed in the backwoods.

The act does not dictate the technology (it could be wireless, for instance) but the companies are not allowed to set monthly caps on the traffic for this type of service. The Ministry will also monitor the pricing on the market to ensure the price level for “universal service” will stay “reasonable”.

[hychamaz]

Thank you Jukka Aho for your wonderful response. You went way out of your way to answer my question. I thank you so much for that. You obviously spent a long time typing. Thank you. Much of teh tiem I get sly responses to questions but answers like yours brings back my faith in this forum. I cant thank you enough.

[network_engineer]

1 MB!!! Bah!

And do what with it? Twiddle my thumbs? As for those overjoyed about 1 MB, this is about the local circuit, i.e. to the ISPs PE! Of course, if we were talking a 1MB reserved clean pipe to the Internet... that'd be a slightly different story! As for me, Universal service should have been at the minimum 24 MB FTH!

And then again, why on earth would a business enterprise go with a 1MB circuit? They should send their [e]mails using a pigeon!

[raamv]

1 MB!!! Bah!

And do what with it? Twiddle my thumbs? As for those overjoyed about 1 MB, this is about the local circuit, i.e. to the ISPs PE! Of course, if we were talking a 1MB reserved clean pipe to the Internet... that'd be a slightly different story! As for me, Universal service should have been at the minimum 24 MB FTH!

And then again, why on earth would a business enterprise go with a 1MB circuit?

wait for the next amendment to the law...



in a decade...

[network_engineer]

Now I lay me down to sleep!

[tuulen]

In the US, something similar is happening, and politically the matter is known as *network neutrality*. Basically, Internet service providers (ISPs) have discovered how to make more financial profit by *regulating* the speed of Internet traffic, or even by blocking Internet traffic, for reasons having to do with commercial advertising. And, ISPs favor regulating the online speed of individual customers by billing them for the amount of Internet bandwidth they use.

[rinso]

Our commune launched a plan to provide everybody with (potential) access to an optical fibre system. Probably in preparation of the next step to 10MB in a couple of years.
The grid is laid out so that nobody is more than 2 km from the main line. They only have to pay for the connection to the line. But that cost €7,-/meter. So it could cost you up to €14.000,- to get that fast connection.

[ajdias]

This story made it to /. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/14 ... d?from=rss

[SteveS]

1 MB!!! Bah!

And do what with it? Twiddle my thumbs? As for those overjoyed about 1 MB, this is about the local circuit, i.e. to the ISPs PE! Of course, if we were talking a 1MB reserved clean pipe to the Internet... that'd be a slightly different story! As for me, Universal service should have been at the minimum 24 MB FTH!

And then again, why on earth would a business enterprise go with a 1MB circuit? They should send their [e]mails using a pigeon!

So you're not interested to buy my old 14400 modem then?

[maxxfi]

This story made it to /. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/14 ... d?from=rss

It made also to TC: "Applause for Finland" http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/14/ap ... gal-right/ and many other geek/technical news and blogs