Re: Muni fiber: L1 or L2?

[Stephen Sprunk <stephen () sprunk org>]

On 04-Feb-13 15:17, Jean-Francois Mezei wrote:
> On 13-02-04 16:04, Scott Helms wrote:
> > Subscribers don't care if the hand off is at layer 1 or layer 2 so this is moot as well.
> This is where one has to be carefull.  The wholesale scenario in Canada leaves indepdendant ISPs having to explain to 
> their customers that they can't fix certain problems and that they must call the telco/cableco to get it fixed. (in 
> the case of a certain cable company, they can't even call them, it has to be done by email with response of at least 
> 48 hours).

This is not a show-stopper.  In my state (TX), electric utilities have
been strictly segregated into generation, distribution and retail.  When
I have a problem with my service, I call my retailer, who puts in a
ticket with the distributor (i.e. grid operator).  However, since the
distributor has an equal relationship with _all_ retailers, rather than
also having a retail arm itself (as in the telco model), there is no
service problem.  If anything, service is _better_ than when
distribution and retailing were done by the same (monopoly) utility
company because there are now formal SLAs and penalties.

> Another aspect: customers espect to be able to switch seamlessly from one ISP to the next. But ISP-2 can't take over 
> from ISP-1 until ISP-1 has relinquised control over the line to the end user. In a layer 1 scenario, it means ISP-1 
> has to physically go and deinstall their CPE and disconnect strand from their OLT, and then ISP-2 can do the reverse 
> and reconnect evrything to provide services.

Wrong.  As soon as retailer 2 puts in the connect order, everything gets
switched over within one business day.  The distributor stops billing
retailer 1 because they're no longer in the picture.

Now, if different CPE is required (not an issue for electricity), then
the customer would notice that the CPE from retailer 1 suddenly stops
working.  They would then unplug it and follow the directions that came
in the box with the CPE from retailer 2.  No truck roll needed, unless
they paid extra for that.  (In a slightly different space with similar
costs, prices and volumes, one carrier said rolling a truck for
installation would blow their profit margin for the entire year.)

S

-- 
Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

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