50Mbps should be maximum standard speed for now, says Fries

Liberty Global will set 50Mbps as the standard speed for the bulk of subscribers beyond which it will not go for now, according to Liberty Global president and CEO Mike Fries. “It’s an opportunity to take a breather,” Fries told the Cable Congress in Brussels yesterday. “We have to consider how to get a return on the next bump in speed.”

Fries said people were using broadband more intensively, which could have a knock-on effect on the network. “There is an opportunity to take a breath and figure out where we go from here,” he said.

Fries also said that German market offered the strongest prospects for growth within the company’s footprint. The country presents the “one of the best markets I have seen in two decades”,  Fries told Cable Congress delegates during the opening panel session at the event.

Broadband is critical for Liberty Global’s growth in Germany, said Fries. He said that Unitymedia and Kabel BW were picking up 70% of new broadband additions in their footprint.

Fries said that broadband was highly competitive in Europe, with speeds rising and prces falling but margins remaining steady.