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Cybermoor Moots Gigabit Broadband Speeds for Alston Moor in …

cybermoor networks uk

The Cybermoor Networks1 project, a partially community built fibre optic broadband network for the residents and businesses of Alston Moor in rural Cumbria (England, UK), has signed a new infrastructure upgrade deal with Calix2 that will enhance the current service and could potentially bring ultrafast Gigabit broadband ISP speeds to the area.

The network, which last year won the NextGen Award for Innovative Funding for its work to connect people in the sparsely populated parish (here3), has recently been kept very busy as it attempts to raise a further £400,000 from the community for future development and expansion (they’ve managed to secure £325,000 since February 2012).

So far most of the investment has come from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) but lately locals have been asked to invest upwards of £100 each (Community Share Offer) to help fund the work, with those who put in £1,000 being promised free broadband for a year. Existing Cybermoor customers have been told that they could double their broadband speed if they invest (subject to survey). This is a similar method of funding to B4RN4’s project in Lancashire (here5).

The new investment itself, which originally came about because BT wasn’t willing provide superfast broadband to the area, will go towards laying a fibre network that will initially cover the most populous parts of Alston Moor, starting with the centre of Alston town (i.e. The Firs, Church Road, Jollybeard and Church Road). It will be extended to cover more remote areas as more investment is raised.

Today’s news that Calix’s Ethernet eXtensible Architecture (EXA) Powered E7 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) has been selected by Cybermoor Networks, which aims to utilize “powerful” Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology delivered via the Calix E7 and 716GE-I indoor optical network terminals (ONTs), is just one part of that upgrade work.

Daniel Heery, Cybermoor Project Manager, said:

“We believe that this network will be transformative to the community of Alston Moor, whose residents will be among the first in the country to become a UK Fibre Optic Community. A fibre network at the heart of the community will provide high capacity connections to local residents and businesses and will help to attract people and businesses who want to live in a rural area and benefit from high-speed connections. With this powerful infrastructure, we will in fact be better served than many of the larger towns and cities of the country not only for today, but for some time to come.”

Andy Lockhart, Senior VP of Sales at Calix, said:

“Few areas in the UK are more remote and rural than Cumbria, yet even fewer areas in the country will be as wired for the future as Alston Moor. We applaud the way that residents are taking their destiny into their own hands to meet the bandwidth needs of the community. The Cybermoor project is both visionary and innovative, and we are delighted to be able to bring our expertise and leadership in rural broadband implementations in other countries to help support this ambitious project.”

Subscribers to the service will apparently use the Calix 716GE-I indoor ONTs to bring four high-speed ports and two voice ports into the home through a single fiber access connection to the network, which will allow it to deliver additional voice, TV and possibly even “gigabit speed” broadband ISP services. Customers will even be able to choose different ISPs per port if needed.

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References

  1. ^ Cybermoor Networks (www.cybermoornetworks.org)
  2. ^ Calix (www.calix.com)
  3. ^ here (www.ispreview.co.uk)
  4. ^ B4RN (www.b4rn.org.uk)
  5. ^ here (www.ispreview.co.uk)
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by broadbandsecurity on 23rd, April 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by broadbandsecurity on 23rd, April 2012

https://broadbandsecurity.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/cybermoor-moots-gigabit-broadband-speeds-for-alston-moor-in/

EU Grants Estonia State Aid to Push Broadband Access -spun1 …

April 23, 2012 admin news1,


The European Commission continues to push for widespread broadband connectivity, approving state aid Tuesday for high-speed Internet in Estonia.

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Estonia plans to set up a country-wide high-speed broadband infrastructure called the EstWin project. The project aims to link remote rural areas into the main fiber-optic network for high-speed Internet access. The Commission allowed the allocation of state aid because the project would not have occurred due to market forces alone.

The project is in line with the objective of the E.U. Digital Agenda to deliver a digital single market with broadband access for all by 2013. To this end, the Commission has opened the door to state aid for many rural areas across Europe. Nonprofit organizations can apply for support to construct and manage regional fiber-optic networks, under the condition that they offer the same terms and conditions to all telecommunication operators using the infrastructure.

Over the past six years, the Commission has adopted more than 40 decisions on state aid provisions to broadband infrastructure.


A German case approved at the end of last year allowed municipalities to invest in and own specific ducts to encourage broadband deployment in underserved areas. These ducts will be made available to broadband network operators free of charge, thus constituting state aid. However, this was deemed permissible as the multifiber ducts will allow several broadband operators to deploy their networks, thus encouraging competition.

In Ireland a plan to provide affordable basic broadband coverage was fast-tracked and the Commission approved state aid for a project within one month of the notification date. Meanwhile in Cyprus, a nationwide broadband project has divided the country into “white areas” (currently underserved by broadband) and “black areas” (currently provided for). Authorities decided that no single operator can win tenders to operate in all white areas thereby fostering competition and encouraging multiple operators to benefit from state aid.

This level of interference in normal market forces highlights the E.U. authorities’ commitment to getting high-speed Internet to all European citizens. In less densely populated areas, operators often have little commercial incentive to upgrade existing networks as they would not see a return on investment.

The aim of the Commission is to foster a wide and rapid rollout of broadband networks and to eliminate the digital divide between urban and rural regions. In many rural regions of the E.U., broadband availability is key for local communities to attract businesses, and for distance-working, providing health-care services and improving education and public services.

In Estonia the EstWin project is expected to enable up to 98 percent of Estonia’s households, businesses and institutions to connect to a high-speed Internet network with a data transfer rate of at least 100M bps (bits per second).


References

  1. ^ View all posts in news (www.dmsss.com)
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by broadbandsecurity on 23rd, April 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by broadbandsecurity on 23rd, April 2012

https://broadbandsecurity.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/eu-grants-estonia-state-aid-to-push-broadband-access-spun1/

PCCW Owned UK Broadband Confirms Swindon Launch of 4G Internet Service

As expected UK Broadband (UKB), the sibling of Hong Kong based telecoms giant PCCW, has announced that Swindon will be the first local authority in the UK to benefit from a borough-wide superfast 4G Mobile Broadband service over its 3.5GHz based Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

It emerged last year that the borough of Swindon, which is home to about 186,000 people , had previously been struggling to maintain a free wireless internet (wifi) service (aka SIGNAL ). This was part of the areas wider Digital City project but had sadly proven to be unsustainable, so instead the Swindon Borough Council, Capita and UKB agreed to develop a 4G alternative (original news). Unfortunately Swindon still had to wait for UKB to complete the development of its service, which finally happened in February 2012 when they announced the first commercial deployment of a 4G service in the UK for the Southbank and Borough areas of Southwark in London ( May 2012 ). Nicholas James, CEO of UK Broadband, said: UK Broadband is leading the way when it comes to commercial LTE deployments in the UK.

Not only are we rolling out some of the UK’s first commercial LTE networks, we are also demonstrating how this technology can be used by local authorities in urban areas to deliver next generation services and save money.

By deploying our unique combination of very high speed microwave and high capacity multi-channel LTE we can deliver truly wireless towns and cities.

We can also deliver super-fast home broadband in line with the government’s broadband ambitions.

We have commenced building the core transmission network and have committed to delivering 480k worth of savings in the next five years for the local authority as well as enabling the introduction of innovative services and solutions for the public sector and businesses.

Swindon Borough Council have a history of championing innovative digital projects, such as their aspirations of providing Wi-Fi to the whole town through Digital City and the Highworth pilot project.

We’re confident that by working together with Swindon Borough Council, we will demonstrate how wireless technologies can be best deployed across a town or city to deliver real benefits to a wide range of individuals, organisations, businesses and the public sector . Hitesh Patel, Swindon Borough Council’s Board Director, added: This deployment will allow us to deliver next generation services, while making substantial savings.

We are a forward looking local authority, eager to embrace the benefits of innovative new technologies, and believe that this project will provide the infrastructure Swindon needs to continually succeed in both the public and private spheres.

The increased speed and reliability provided by the use of smart devices and superfast next generation mobile broadband will enable public sector workers to be more effectively and easily connected to their core office systems and data whilst working in different localities.

It will allow us to begin adopting working practices that will significantly improve the efficiency with which key services are delivered.

For example, we envision that key front line staff, such as social workers, would be able to update case records remotely and prepare for their next visit without needing to return to a central location.

Capabilities such as these will form the basis of more efficient service delivery, alongside the savings on communications budgets . Apparently the core of UKB’s hybrid microwave/4G network will be rolling out to 63 service sites via point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave links, which should replace legacy technologies like ADSL.

The 4G service itself will then be layered over this network to deliver the promised town/city-wide coverage.

Sadly much of the PR spin talks about the services benefit for public sector and businesses purposes, although local residents should still be able to adopt the solution through retail partnerships . At this stage UKB isn t saying exactly what form this will take but we know that there won t be a free solution anymore (expect to pay for access). Initial services on the network will be fixed connectivity solutions.

The first mobile wifi ( MiFi ) devices and related services should be available from September 2012 . The 3.5GHz band itself tends to work best in low mobility environments , such as on a local fixed wireless service.

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by broadbandsecurity on 20th, April 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by broadbandsecurity on 20th, April 2012

https://broadbandsecurity.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/pccw-owned-uk-broadband-confirms-swindon-launch-of-4g-internet-service/

PCCW Owned UK Broadband Confirms Swindon Launch of 4G …

lte uk mobile broadband

As expected UK Broadband1 (UKB), the sibling of Hong Kong based telecoms giant PCCW2, has announced that Swindon will be the “first local authority in the UK” to benefit from a borough-wide superfast “4G” Mobile Broadband3 service over its 3.5GHz based Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

It emerged last year that the borough of Swindon, which is home to about 186,000 people, had previously been struggling to maintain a free wireless internet (wifi4) service (aka – SIGNAL). This was part of the areas wider Digital City project but had sadly proven to be unsustainable, so instead the Swindon Borough Council5, Capita and UKB agreed to develop a 4G alternative (original news6).

Unfortunately Swindon still had to wait for UKB to complete the development of its service, which finally happened in February 2012 when they announced the “first commercial deployment” of a 4G service in the UK for the Southbank and Borough areas of Southwark in London (May 2012).

Nicholas James, CEO of UK Broadband, said:

“UK Broadband is leading the way when it comes to commercial LTE deployments in the UK. Not only are we rolling out some of the UK’s first commercial LTE networks, we are also demonstrating how this technology can be used by local authorities in urban areas to deliver next generation services and save money. By deploying our unique combination of very high speed microwave and high capacity multi-channel LTE we can deliver truly wireless towns and cities. We can also deliver super-fast home broadband in line with the government’s broadband ambitions.

We have commenced building the core transmission network and have committed to delivering £480k worth of savings in the next five years for the local authority as well as enabling the introduction of innovative services and solutions for the public sector and businesses. Swindon Borough Council have a history of championing innovative digital projects, such as their aspirations of providing Wi-Fi to the whole town through Digital City and the Highworth pilot project. We’re confident that by working together with Swindon Borough Council, we will demonstrate how wireless technologies can be best deployed across a town or city to deliver real benefits to a wide range of individuals, organisations, businesses and the public sector.”

Hitesh Patel, Swindon Borough Council’s Board Director, added:

“This deployment will allow us to deliver next generation services, while making substantial savings. We are a forward looking local authority, eager to embrace the benefits of innovative new technologies, and believe that this project will provide the infrastructure Swindon needs to continually succeed in both the public and private spheres.

The increased speed and reliability provided by the use of smart devices and superfast next generation mobile broadband7 will enable public sector workers to be more effectively and easily connected to their core office systems and data whilst working in different localities. It will allow us to begin adopting working practices that will significantly improve the efficiency with which key services are delivered.

For example, we envision that key front line staff, such as social workers, would be able to update case records remotely and prepare for their next visit without needing to return to a central location. Capabilities such as these will form the basis of more efficient service delivery, alongside the savings on communications budgets.”

Apparently the core of UKB’s hybrid microwave/4G network will be rolling out to 63 service sites via point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave links, which should replace legacy technologies like ADSL8. The 4G service itself will then be “layered over this network” to deliver the promised town/city-wide coverage.

Sadly much of the PR spin talks about the services benefit for “public sector and businesses” purposes, although local residents should still be able to adopt the solution through “retail partnerships“. At this stage UKB isn’t saying exactly what form this will take but we know that there won’t be a free solution anymore (expect to pay for access).

Initial services on the network will be fixed connectivity solutions. The first mobile wifi9 (MiFi) devices and related services should be available from September 2012. The 3.5GHz band itself tends to work best in low mobility environments, such as on a local fixed wireless service.

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2 Responses

References

  1. ^ UK Broadband (www.ukbroadband.com)
  2. ^ PCCW (www.pccw.com)
  3. ^ Mobile Broadband (www.ispreview.co.uk)
  4. ^ wifi (www.ispreview.co.uk)
  5. ^ Swindon Borough Council (www.swindon.gov.uk)
  6. ^ original news (www.ispreview.co.uk)
  7. ^ mobile broadband (www.ispreview.co.uk)
  8. ^ ADSL (www.ispreview.co.uk)
  9. ^ wifi (www.ispreview.co.uk)
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by broadbandsecurity on 20th, April 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by broadbandsecurity on 20th, April 2012

https://broadbandsecurity.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/pccw-owned-uk-broadband-confirms-swindon-launch-of-4g/

Digital TV switchover campaign launches in Northern Ireland

Residents in Northern Ireland are being reminded that the switchover will get underway in six months.

BBC and UTV presenters Donna Traynor and Marc Mallett have been enlisted to raise awareness of the upcoming switchover to digital TV in Northern Ireland.

The public information campaign kicked off yesterday (April 12th 2012), with the move to all-digital TV set to get underway in six months’ time.

On October 10th, the country’s existing analogue signals serving around 650,000 viewers will begin being deactivated, allowing Freeview coverage to be extended to virtually all homes in Northern Ireland.

Households that receive their TV signal from one of 43 relay transmitters in the region will see their choice of channels rise from four to around 15 as a result of the work.

The Switchover Help Scheme and Digital UK, the body tasked with managing the process, will soon begin broadcasting on-screen messages reminding viewers of the impending move, while older and disabled people are being offered practical assistance to upgrade one television set per household to digital.

Extensive local advertising will be carried out on TV, the radio and in newspapers, and switchover roadshows will tour Northern Ireland to offer practical demonstrations and face-to-face advice about digital TV equipment.

A guide to the switchover is set to be dispatched to homes in the coming months and several charities will support the scheme by offering additional information and support to those who need it.

Denis Wolinski, Digital UK regional manager for Northern Ireland, said: “The benefits will be felt by hundreds of thousands of viewers who will be able to receive free-to-air digital TV via an aerial for the first time.

“Over the coming months we will be making plenty of information available and working with the Switchover Help Scheme to ensure viewers know where to turn for advice.” Apart from Northern Ireland, the only regions yet to complete the switchover to digital TV are Meridian, London and Tyne Tees.

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by broadbandsecurity on 13th, April 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by broadbandsecurity on 13th, April 2012

https://broadbandsecurity.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/digital-tv-switchover-campaign-launches-in-northern-ireland/