BT's 21CN project, the UK's most
high-profile NGN, has encountered numerous setbacks, but the carrier has
reiterated its commitment to the project. It also claimed channel
partners continued to benefit from the network's rollout.
"Any issues partners
have can be addressed by the fact that we have rolled out next
generation services at scale, which are available to the channel to
resell," said the carrier.
ISP Griffin has worked with BT to highlight the benefits of 21CN to the
channel. But Chief Technology Officer Adrian Sunderland claimed
communications providers should cast their net wider than a single NGN.
"Griffin is evangelical about the benefits of all IP NGNs," he said. "We
buy NGN-based services from seven different carriers and build services
on top of these. You need to consider customers' applications and what
area of the country they are in."
Many slammed the Digital Britain report's commitment to 2MB universal
access as unambitious and taxes to help fund access in rural areas have
also faced criticism.
Ian Jackson, Managing Director of VAR Imerja, said: "More pressure
should have been put on major telcos to extend their reach to match that
of their European counterparts."
But Phil Smith, Cisco's UK and Ireland Managing Director, claimed the
government's focus on NGN technology would benefit the UK economy.
"These proposals will improve the delivery of public and private
services, both in terms of lower cost of delivery and improved
accessibility," he said.