Two and a half time Tods trigger level, is ludicrous. A Wireless mesh is probably going to be the only solution for the near future. Although I doubt the new Fujitsu Mini & Compact DSLAMs which have just been released were taken into account when BT came up with the costing and user level required for the exchange. The new DSLAMs should reduce the cost to upgrade and exchange considerably.

Below is a exert from an article on www.adslguide.org

The launch of the Mini DSLAM is no surprise, BT has been trialing several brands as part of its Community ADSL product since Autumn 2002. The picture shows the very small size of the Fujitsu unit aimed at that product niche. One thing people have voiced concerns about is expandability - this Fujitsu product supports 24 users in a single unit, and can be cascaded to provide 56 users from a single FDX mini system. Additionally scope for future expansion to 112 lines is catered for.

The FDX Compact is interesting, as we are seeing a lot of exchanges from small towns either not generating a great deal of demand, or simply they are too small for a full sized DSLAM,and too large for the mini DSLAMs. The Compact model can support up to 279 lines, with a scaleable architecture allowing up to 620 lines in the future. Interestingly there is scope for the subtending of remote FDX Mini DSLAMs, i.e. using a Compact DLSAM in one exchange and running bandwidth from this DSLAM to Mini DSLAMs at remote locations. Potentially this could be used to extend the range, i.e. fill in black spots of coverage, or bring DSL to people in TPON areas .

We can only hope than getting the backing of more businesses and residents in the area and keeping the pressure on BT will force them to reconsider the position.

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