site Search:


 
   
story category
Qwest Defends Not Running FTTH
Insists Verizon has it easier with aerial fiber...
by Karl Bode Monday 25-Aug-2008 tags: business · wireless · telco · Qwest.net
Qwest is spending $300 million to run copper-based ADSL2+ service to two million customers by the end of this year. Qwest now offers their Qwest Connect Quantum (20Mbps/896kbps) and Qwest Connect Titanium (12Mbps/896kbps) tiers to one million living units in eighteen different markets. Qwest CTO Pieter Poll tells ZDNet that part of the reason the telco is using ADSL2+ as opposed to VDSL is the availability of VDSL modems, something that hasn't apparently hampered AT&T. Poll also touches on why Qwest isn't embracing FTTH:

"The reason for that (approach) is that east of the Mississippi River most plant (cables, fiber, optics etc.) are all buried. The West is all buried plant," he explained. "Now contrast that with Verizon. You have a different story because most of Verizon’s plant is aerial (housed on telephone poles). We can’t afford to tear up everybody’s neighborhood. It’s not a question of desirability to fiber to the home; it’s what’s affordable to consumers. Qwest has 75 percent to 80 percent of its plant buried. Verizon is the total opposite."

The fact that Qwest isn't anchored by a cash cow wireless division also has a little something to do with it. According to Poll, 35 Mbps downstream will be enough bandwidth to future proof the Qwest network because there's "ultimately a limit to what a consumer can consume in terms of information."

view: topics flat text 
Post a:

extreme50
Formerly TwoKDialup
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Coloma, MI

Ruby Ranch

Will Qworst make Connect Quantum or Connect Titanium available to the famous Ruby Ranch Internet Cooperative Association residents?

»www.rric.net/
--
Comcast has spoiled me rotten!
hottboiinnc
ME

join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
Reviews:
·WOW Internet and..

Re: Ruby Ranch

no. they actually have their own equipment from what i understand.

and why must you call them Qworst when you don't even use their services; you have no clue how they actually act toward their customers, except for what people say on here and that is just a hand full. you only hear about the bad issues.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4

Re: Ruby Ranch

said by hottboiinnc:

no. they actually have their own equipment from what i understand.

and why must you call them Qworst when you don't even use their services; you have no clue how they actually act toward their customers, except for what people say on here and that is just a hand full. you only hear about the bad issues.
Well i *have* used Qworst's services and qworst is being nice[what id really want to say about them would get the post moderated]
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee
hottboiinnc
ME

join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

Re: Ruby Ranch

like everything else. your experience and mine differ.

I have used Qwest for services before in Ohio. LD, Toll free services, T1. All reps were great! never a problem.
deviationer

join:2005-01-01
Portland, OR

BS

I smell some BS here.
firewire9999

join:2004-07-11
Livonia, MI

Re: BS

Bob Saget?
gateguy
Premium
join:2001-02-12
Reisterstown, MD
Barbara Streisand?
nasadude

join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
bart simpson?

morbo
Complete Your Transaction

join:2002-01-22
00000

1 edit
beirut smorgasbord?

vonbearsburg

@comcast.net
britney spears?
Done_Posting
Shoot to kill
Premium
join:2003-08-22
Toledo, OH
Boiled squid?

Tate
MeKuN

join:2004-07-21
Eugene, OR
Bowling Shoes?

Romney2012
Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe in
Premium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4
BellSouth ?

Bruce Springsteen ?

Buffalo Sabres ?

Nanoprobe
Crunching in memory of Mom
Premium
join:2003-05-11
Crab Nebula
kudos:1
Reviews:
·magicjack.com
·Skype

1 edit

Re: BS

Baked Spam

Boiled Spam

Brisket of Spam

MSauk
MSauk
Premium
join:2002-01-17
Sandy, UT

They have no plan for the future

I just wish they would update the area I live in, right now all I can get is 1.5 down and 768 up! Are you kidding me, I was getting that 3 or 4 years ago.
--
MatthewSauk.com
skriefal

join:2002-12-26
Sandy, UT

Re: They have no plan for the future

I'm in Sandy, UT and just upgraded to the 12mbps/896kbps service last week. Might not be available through the entire city yet...
mobbo

join:2005-04-13
Denton, TX

Have fun!

Absolutely no plan to make even a decent attempt to upgrade infrastructure for the future of consumer bandwidth needs?

Enjoy the long, painful drop to bankruptcy!
questionable

join:2005-10-18
Phoenix, AZ

NON - Qwest people "sigh"

Lets have a contest. How many NON-Qwest customer can we get to post in here.

I hope they update my area to higher speeds I have VDSl with TV which according to some info i have seen is a 22 meg connection... I would love a 12 meg connection
jmcgeejr1

join:2000-05-15
Kirkland, WA

Re: NON - Qwest people "sigh"

The comment on Aerial drops is such a bogus in WA here most of our stuff is all underground. Verizon comes in and runs the fiber, they have a very efficient team that does it to might I add.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service

Re: NON - Qwest people "sigh"

said by jmcgeejr1:

The comment on Aerial drops is such a bogus in WA here most of our stuff is all underground. Verizon comes in and runs the fiber, they have a very efficient team that does it to might I add.
It's just an excuse. Must suck to be the captive customer of a phone company that not only won't upgrade but sits there making excuses about how it just can't be done.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)
viperlmw
Premium
join:2005-01-25

Re: NON - Qwest people "sigh"

Hey, there's 2 already in your thread! Good call!
dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
said by jmcgeejr1:

The comment on Aerial drops is such a bogus in WA here most of our stuff is all underground. Verizon comes in and runs the fiber, they have a very efficient team that does it to might I add.
No, that's actually a very legitimate point and one I'd not really considered- running aerial is going to be a lot cheaper than buried fiber. He didn't say all of Verizon's plant is ariel, only most of it- I'm sure they are running buried fiber in places, with most being aerial.
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

isnt buried pretty easy too?

i thought the telco conduate that held their current wiring was oversized just for the purpose of network improvements allowing upgrades with minimal bulldozer work.
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports
EPS

join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA

Re: isnt buried pretty easy too?

It depends on the construction, I suppose- in newer burials there's probably room, but older ones may be different... so areas that have been buried from the start are probably worse off than those that started out aerial and were buried more recently. (New construction is best, obviously)

outstanding

@myvzw.com

Re: isnt buried pretty easy too?

It would neat if posters had a clue about what they are trying to talk about. It is spelled "conduit". It sounds like what you are talking about are duct runs between manholes. These are great for pulling cables in cities and towns but duct runs don't go to homes. They are used to feed distribution sites. So, if you want to provide FTTH you are going to be burying/hanging fiber.

kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?

join:2006-12-12
Arnold, MD

1 edit
Verizon ran new conduit in MD to house the fiber. Besides, it's all pull-through. It's not like they're digging a continuous trench.

OSUGoose

join:2007-12-27
Columbus, OH

Re: isnt buried pretty easy too?

and alot of that depends on what type of fiber there using, sounds like its a lil cheeper to bore conduit then ppull unarmored fiber, that to trench for armored fiber.

WiseOldNerd
De gustibus non est disputandum
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Phoenix, AZ
Reviews:
·Charter
·Cox HSI

I am a Qwest Customer-Unfortuneatly

In fact I have Qwest in two different states, and they are both good and bad. My major problem with them is that they refuse to upgrade the old copper to the home. And also refuse to update in older neighborhoods. They are cherry picking and that will ultimately cost them customers like me who will move exclusively to cable and wireless. In fact, the only reason I keep any Qwest is because my spouse wants the POTS line.

I actually get better internet service here in Newport from Charter the lamest of all cable companies than I did from Qwest. And when I asked Qwest senior management about it, they said their was no plan to upgrade the old copper. So I said F**K and went to Charter. I am very satisfied with them. In my Phoenix location, repeated inquiries concerning the new speeds brings a NO. Limited to 3mhz down and 640k up. I will be rethinking Cox even though Cox phone support is as bad as Charter, and Qwest phone support is good.
--
My perception is REALITY
Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO

Re: I am a Qwest Customer-Unfortuneatly

Yup...I live here in Qwest's home town of Denver. I also live in an older neighborhood (many houses built ~100 years ago). It's a pretty well-off neighborhood, with median home prices above $300k and lots of fairly young professional families. prime territory for their newest stuff, right?

Nope...Qwest won't touch my neighborhood with their new DSL service.

And it's not a question of buried drops...everything from the power lines to the telco lines to the cable lines is run from the same poles running down the alleys. All aerial drops.

To be honest, running FTTP is pretty much the only thing that could get me to consider switching from Comcast. I have no desire to attach a satellite dish to my house. And even if the new offering were available in my neighborhood, the higher prices and lack of upstream pretty much kill the deal for me.
--
"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too."

Qwestguy

@iauq.com
Honestly it's not about cherry picking. The FTTN launch started with ATM remote terminals. They are much easier to upgrade that the CO is. Which if you live in an old neighboordhood chances are you're connected to the CO directly. In order to provide the new speeds to people that are connected directly to the CO requires a major overhaul. They have picked starting points close to existing fiber and have been running it from RT to RT. The've also been installing new DSLAMS in areas where the was previously no internet offering from Qwest. I'm in the same boat, only have 1.5 available, but I've been told they want to upgrade the CO eventually so they can offer the new speeds to a whole lot more customers. The strategy makes sense to me from a cost standpoint.

kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?

join:2006-12-12
Arnold, MD

VA-DC-MD = buried FTTH

In the DC/Baltimore area, a large number of neighborhoods (everything built around the mid-70's or later) are buried and Verizon spent alot of time digging. The only aerial runs I notice are along main roads feeding the neighborhoods. More excuses from Qwest.
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Re: VA-DC-MD = buried FTTH

add in DE, PA and NJ for buried verizon. oh and dont forget verizon pulling FiOS in NYC.
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports

kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?

join:2006-12-12
Arnold, MD

Re: VA-DC-MD = buried FTTH

That's not fair. Doesn't NYC use the city-wide sewer system to run utilities?

a333
A hot cup of integrals please

join:2007-06-12
Rego Park, NY

1 edit

Re: VA-DC-MD = buried FTTH

Nah, that's Google
mackdaddy058

join:2006-01-10
Peterborough, ON

2 edits

Future Proof... my @$$

What about having 4 HDTVs in one household. A decent bitrate would be on the order of 18-20Mbps. Now if all four TVs are watching an HD channel at the same time that's 72-80Mbps just for IPTV. Add on a 10-20Mbs internet connection and the average household is going to require approximately 100Mbps. How is Qwest future proofing their infrastucture with 35Mbps head room???

P.S. Forgot to mention 0.1Mbps for phone...

See 6 replies to this post
BortB25

join:2004-02-28

Still waiting on fiber in St. Paul, MN

I hear parts of Minneapolis have the 20meg and 12meg. I will be switching to Comcast soon if I don't see any upgrades in this area. The max I can get is 1.5/896k currently. I have been on this for several years.
EPS

join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA

Re: Still waiting on fiber in St. Paul, MN

Isn't the Minneapolis/St. Paul area where Comcast has brought out downstream DOCSIS 3 and 50mbps? You'd think Qwest would be more proactive in rolling out ADSL2+ to compete there. (Or maybe they've given up?)
BortB25

join:2004-02-28

Re: Still waiting on fiber in St. Paul, MN

Yes we have 50/5 here from Comcast along with their 6/384 and 8/768 packages which I hear will soon go to 12 and 16. We also have the wifi network in Minneapolis that covers about 60 square miles. Qwest is loosing a lot of landline customers here to Comcast also. Triple Play is seems to be pretty popular with Comcast.
artisticcheese

join:2004-11-09
Carrollton, TX

Majority of Texas cables are underground

This is BS, Texas was a play ground for Verizon for both their FIOS Internet and TV. And majority of areas have cables run underground, including my house.
iansltx

join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2

Re: Majority of Texas cables are underground

Second that. Buried cable out to my VZ Texas landline, though OTOH no DSL, let alone FiOS. But still Qwest is caught on this one...
raptor1418
Premium
join:2002-12-03
Denver, CO

Former Qwest Customer

When I was a Qwest customer in Longmont I remember my DSL service being somewhat nice for that day in age. All lines were buried and if I remember correctly I would get about 1.5M/1M on average. Only ever had 2 problems and they were resolved quickly with pretty painless time on the phone. Both issues were not issues at the house.

Now I have moved closer to Denver, live in a neighbor hood that is much newer, all lines are buried and I can't get DSL service that is even close to what I could have gotten when I lived in Longmont.

So unless they upgrade the DSL in the neighborhood I will not be moving off of comcast.

It almost seems like they want to corner themselves out of business.

bent
and Inga
Premium
join:2004-10-04
Loveland, CO
Reviews:
·Comcast

Re: Former Qwest Customer

Guess what? It still is 1.5 in Longmont. My PRI, my business DSL, my home internet, none of them belong to Qwest. I hate sending my telecom money (about $2k/mo) out of state, but damnit, Qwest just doesn't compete. Not even close in most cases.
--
»www.lp.org/issues/family-budget

"That government is best which governs least" - Thoreau

funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5

1 edit

Qwest seems to be the leading provider of B.S. Excuses

Look at Qwest's Map (the red icons are POP cities): »www.qwest.com/about/qwest/network/

Now look at Verizon's FIOS:
»/gmaps/fios

These are the same areas in most cases.

In Portland Oregon, we have neighborhoods that are underground and neighborhoods that are served only by poles. In many cases, we have poles only on collector roads and underground utilities within the housing tracts. My neighborhood is like that, and Verizon dug up every yard (except for my street, damn it!, we got missed due to construction cancellation due to rain and they never finished it).
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
More features, more fun, Join BroadbandReports.com, it's free...

heat84
Bit Torrent Apologist

join:2004-03-11
Fort Lauderdale, FL

1 edit

Re: Qwest seems to be the leading provider of B.S. Excuses

said by funchords See Profile
These are the same areas in most cases.


Why did they both stop moving South at the same spot? I don't care about Qwest but I wish FIOS would come down here.
dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
said by funchords:

Look at Qwest's Map (the red icons are POP cities): »www.qwest.com/about/qwest/network/

Now look at Verizon's FIOS:
»/gmaps/fios

These are the same areas in most cases.
The Qwest map of their backbone has little or no relevance with regard to the choice between FTTH and FTTP deployment. The trunks between the serving CO and the nearest POP isn't the problem; it's getting from the customer premise to the CO that is the challenge.

funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5

Re: Qwest seems to be the leading provider of B.S. Excuses

Again, the red icons are POP cities ... so ignore the other colors and lines.
dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

Re: Qwest seems to be the leading provider of B.S. Excuses

said by funchords:

Again, the red icons are POP cities ... so ignore the other colors and lines.
And again- the location of POP sites aren't very relevant to the discussion of FTTH vs FTTP.

espaeth
Digital Plumber
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
kudos:2
Reviews:
·Clear Wireless
said by funchords:

Look at Qwest's Map (the red icons are POP cities): »www.qwest.com/about/qwest/network/
That's where they have major IP backbone routing nodes, not Central Offices.

Qwest only has LEC services here: »www.qwest.com/wholesale/pcat/territory.html

fonzbear2000
Premium
join:2005-08-09
Saint Paul, MN

Upload remains the same?

A 20/896 connection? What a joke! It should be 12/1 and 20/2. Their upload has been the same for years now!
--
»Celestia-this is a REALLY COOL program!!!

espaeth
Digital Plumber
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
kudos:2
Reviews:
·Clear Wireless

Re: Upload remains the same?

said by fonzbear2000:

A 20/896 connection? What a joke! It should be 12/1 and 20/2. Their upload has been the same for years now!
It's an engineering limitation due to crosstalk and noise margins. The signal degrades over distance, but at your house there's only one signal being dropped off so the background noise is minimal. At the DSLAM all of the wires from all the subscribers aggregate back to a common area which creates noise between the lines. More bandwidth = greater frequency spread = more crosstalk.

FTTH Council

@comcast.net

Verizon has plenty of buried FTTH

Verizon has about 2/3rds of their FTTH deployment aerial and 1/3rd of their deployments are buried - a large portion of Tampa FL is all buried. Yes, it is more expensive than aerial, but a lot less expensive than doing nothing and losing all your customers to emerging competition.

Brendan
Warr Guitar is here

join:2000-07-14
Littleton, CO

WooHoo!

I received the mailer about two months ago, stating that the 12mbps service is available in my neighborhood (Marston, West Denver). Going to upgrade here in the coming months. Can't wait! I, personally, haven't had a problem with Qwest's services, though they aren't the quickest in deployment of new technologies. I'm currently using their 1.5/768 ADSL service, with a third party ISP.
--
You say Macs are expensive? Bah! My guitar was more expensive than three new Macs! (I know, I bought three new Macs in the past year)

rchandra
Stargate Universe fan
Premium
join:2000-11-09
14225-2105

less than a megabit up?

oy vey. One of the things that is exciting me about moving into FiOS territory is the availability of a 20/20 package for SEMI-reasonable pricing. Sure, "they" all talk about the blazing speed that you see the photos and little videos of your loved ones; what they totally fail to tell you about is the 5+ minute wait to SEND all those meaty multimedia messages.
--
English is a difficult enough language to interpret correctly when its rules are followed, let alone when a writer chooses not to follow those rules.


Jeopardy! replies REALLY suck!

Sunday, 03-Jun 20:43:10 Terms of Use & Privacy | feedback | contact | Hosting by nac.net - DSL,Hosting & Co-lo
over 12.5 years online © 1999-2012 dslreports.com.