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Portugal is once more well rated in
the Global Ranking of the countries
that adopt Fibre Optics for their Communications Networks.
The Global Ranking was published a few days ago
by the FTTH Council Europe,
an European organization responsible
for the promotion of Fibre Optics.
Carlos Barroqueiro is the only Portuguese
Member of the Board of the FTTH Council Europe
and is today with us in our Program "Com-Ciência"
Thank you for accepting our invitation.
What is the main information that can be taken from this Ranking?
Firstly, is that Portugal is in the Top 10 of this ranking,
which is a privilege and also an opportunity for the country itself.
Secondly, I'd like to highlight the entrance of Spain and Luxembourg,
for the 20th position, namely Spain, and 19th position for Luxembourg
and Portugal ahead of economies like Italy, Spain and many others,
and economies like England and Germany, that aren't even in the Ranking,
therefore, far behind.
Portugal entered in this ranking almost 3 years ago.
How was its evolution during this period of time?
Portugal entered in January 2010 to the bottom of the list,
where normally the entrances happen,
eventually for the 19th or 20th position,
and today is in the 10th position, so the growth in terms
of fibre optic networks in Portugal and the adoption of the fibre was huge.
Within two years going from 19th to 10th is an enormous growth.
Moreover, Portugal is a worldwide success case, and is referred as so.
One thing is the existence of the networks, the buildings having access to these networks,
another thing is the client's subscription.
Exactly, one thing is building the networks,
houses passed, exactly as you refer,
and then, there's the marketing and sales
where the user becomes a client or a subscriber.
And Portugal, is it well in both rankings?
Portugal is well in both rankings yes.
Any country that is on the top10 has a lot of work done.
A great investment.
Eng. Carlos Barroqueiro, you are member of
the Board of the FTTH Council.
Specifically, what is this organization?
At the European level, the FTTH council comprises 150 companies
from the telecommunicationsindustry, namely Cisco, Ericsson, Alcatel, Corning,
global companies, and also national companies,
and therefore, we are a non-profitable organization,
where the telecom operators are not part of,
what allows us to maintain some distance and
therefore, making us well respected
and taken into account by the European Commission.
Precisely, the European Commission,
Europe itself supports this initiatives.
What are the real advantages of adopting these fibre optics networks
in our day-to-day life?
It represents a whole range of new services,
new applications and new contents that are radically different and new.
If we see the objectives of the European Commission for the year 2020,
which states that 50%of the European households must have at least 100 Mbps,
and the remaining 50% of the households, must have, least 30 Mbps.
Eight years from now.
Let's make a small exercise. Let's imagine or remember
how the world was in 2004. Eight years ago.
Back then, there were no flat screens, Smartphones, or iPads.
There was no Facebook, no Google.
Just eight years ago!
It is difficult, even impossible,
for us to try to imagine the world in 2020.
But in one thing everybody will agree,
is that 100 Mbps will not be enough.
Therefore, these applications, these services, these contents
that in eight years will be completely revolutionary,
and we, at the FTTH Council, are concerned, and work and struggle
to promote the adoption of the fibre optic networks
because it is the only investment and the only technology
that is future-proof.
What is the mean lifetime of a fibre fptics networks?
Decades. The best example is to compare them to the Highways.
When a highway is built, what is its expected lifetime?
20, 30 40 years?
The fibre optic networks, Fiber-to-the-Home can be compared to highways.
In the end, they are the new highways.
The use of fibre optic networks have evident advantages for the final user,
in the access to the information and to the communications.
But also have social advantages, we can say, that concern the governments.
At which point the governments are involved
in the financing of these networks?
Evidently, to build a network like this requires financing.
There are two positions.
For example, the first one is the Portuguese case,
which is a paradigmatic case.
that In 2008 the society was deeply involved,
and everybody was talking about fibre optics, even the government and the regulator.
There was, evidently, all the support from the government
and that's why the Portuguese case is referenced as a global success case.
It worked like an accelerator for the adoption of the fibre optics in Portugal.
In countries where there's no involvement of governemtn or the regulator,
and in many cases even the society doesn't even talk about fibre optics,
things happen much more slowly.
That is a very important trigger, having or not having the involvement of the government.
Eng. Carlos Barroqueiro, thank you very much for giving us these explanations
and the place of our interview
could not be more appropriate, we are in the house of the future.
Precisely, the future is very close ahead
and the fibre optics are surely a part of it.
Thank you.
Thank you.