Access networks: an European perspective

Provision of broadband access to all potential users is perhaps the major unresolved barrier to the realisation of the information society in Europe. The growth in demand for broadband telecommunications networks and services is inexorable, but will follow an uncertain timetable. The unresolved challenge in the provision of the broadband infrastructure, which will be necessary to support the new applications and services, is the need to match the investment costs of installation to the anticipated revenues of these services. The wide range of options and deployment configurations which are presently being proposed complicates interworking and standardisation and may compromise the benefits of economies of scale. The way forward is therefore the subject of intense debate, in Europe and worldwide.