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Digital Hubs
Digital hubs are proposed by many as a possible answer to bringing genuine superfast
broadband services to rural communities. Fibre connections are provided to an appropriate
point within the village or community, with ongoing local connection by fibre, wireless
or copper -
Major projects
GreySky is working with the Leader programme in Northumberland to solve the problem of broadband in the rural Uplands area. Initial funding has been secured and the project is in final stages of development. Broadband services will be delivered throughout the Northumebrland Uplands area by summer 2011.
More on the Northumberland project...
In the press
The Northumberland Uplands project is receiving a lot of attention in the press and elsewhere. Here’s some of the coverage...
Reaching the parts...
Most broadband services in the UK are delivered over telephone lines as ADSL services. ADSL broadband has become established as the clear market leader to date, with constant innovations helping to increase the speed for most users. But there is a problem. The speed possible is closely related to the length of the line. Beyond 5 km, standard broadband services just don’t reach.
A big problem
Although over 99% of businesses and individuals can get broadband, it can be as low
as 82% in the most rural areas -
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20/07/2011 People living and working in remote parts of Northumberland and Cumbria will gain from Ofcom’s move to make BT cut annual prices by 12% below inflation for firms that use its network to supply internet to remote rural locations. 15/06/2011 ”HUNDREDS of homes and businesses in some of Northumberland’s most isolated communities are set to get reliable broadband access in a pilot project due to start later this summer.” |
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21/06/2011 ”The businesses and communities who live in and around Northumberland National Park are probably the least well served for reliable broadband and mobile communications in England.” |
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Fibrevolution |
20/06/2011 “If the £250k for rural broadband in Northumberland is spent on anything other than FTTH, then this country seriously needs to get its act together and rethink what on earth we are doing with the limited EU funds still available to us.” |
Superfast Rural Broadband
Rural areas were generally the last to get broadband in the first generation rollout
in the UK. But broadband has the potential to transform the economies of rural areas
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Rural areas have two problems -