Digital Dorset Taskforce Update
13.12.11
BT boss tells PM: Fibre will take up to six years to reach 90 per cent of premises
Some UK premises could have to wait up to six years to access super-fast fibre broadband services, according to BT chief executive Ian Livingston.
"Within the next five or six years, fibre-based services could be available to more than 90 percent of UK premises with the majority able to access broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps or above,"
Full story on ZDNet: http://bit.ly/rw8wTD
13.12.11
More Than One Million South West Homes and Businesses to Have Access to Super-fast Broadband Within a Year
18 new exchange areas included in major expansion of BT’s £2.5 billion super-fast fibre broadband programme
More than one million South West homes and businesses will have access to super-fast broadband by the end of next year, BT announced today.
A further 19 South West communities – including Cirencester, Dorchester, Gloucester, Newton Abbot, Poole, Tewkesbury, Weston-Super-Mare and Yeovil - have been added to BT’s £2.5 billion roll-out of fibre broadband.
The latest upgrades, representing nearly 250,000 more homes and businesses in the region, are due to be completed during 2012.
BT’s local network business Openreach is driving forward plans to make super-fast fibre broadband available to two-thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014*. The innovative network features a mix of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) technologies. Speeds are vastly superior to those previously available to many UK homes and businesses.
FTTC, delivered to street cabinets, currently offers download speeds of up to 40Mbps with 10Mbps upstream. Openreach has said it will roughly double these speeds next year. FTTP, where the fibre goes directly to homes and businesses, offers speeds of up to 100Mbps, rising to 300Mbps in the spring. This compares with 6.8Mbps, the average actual speed of all UK broadband according to Ofcom’s latest research published in July 2011
Jon Reynolds, BT’s South West regional director, said: “This latest major investment is a tremendous boost for the South West. Super-fast broadband will be welcomed by families throughout the area because it will help improve their quality of life and leisure and open new doors through online learning and fast access to information and services. And it’s also going to provide a huge fillip for businesses and the region’s economy. At a stroke, small and medium sized firms will have access to big business speeds at much lower costs allowing them to find new markets, boost their competitiveness and create new jobs.
“Faster upstream speeds are a boon for flexible and remote working, slashing office overheads and improving employees’ work-life balance. Large graphic and video files can be sent immediately online instead of being physically delivered to customers on hard disk. And high quality voice and video calls will enable businesses to save time travelling to clients without losing direct customer contact.
“We are making rapid progress with super-fast broadband across the UK. More than six million homes and businesses can now access the high-speed technology and last month we announced that two-thirds of UK premises will have access by the end of 2014, a year earlier than planned.
“And we’re not forgetting the final third – largely rural areas which we have always said will require a partnership approach with the public sector to provide access to the new technology. BT has the strength and experience to deliver challenging projects – as we are doing with major faster broadband initiatives in Northern Ireland and Cornwall – and we are determined to be at the forefront of taking the technology to the final third. We’re also testing new technologies to improve speeds where fibre broadband won’t be available because it’s important that as many homes and businesses as possible have access to fast broadband and its benefits.”
Barbara Janke, Bristol City Council leader, added: "Bristol is well-known as a digital leader amongst cities. It is very welcome news that more communities and companies across Bristol are going to have access to super-fast broadband. The investment means faster connections, better access to online services and more incentive for people to get online.
"We are keen to work with partner providers such as BT to make sure the infrastructure is there for our companies to thrive and grow, and all our residents have the opportunities to benefit from using the internet."
Internet users with a fibre broadband connection can do much more online, all at the same time. A family can download a movie, watch a TV replay service, surf the net and play games online simultaneously. The latest chart hit can be downloaded in around two seconds, a CD in 30 seconds and a feature length HD film in 10 minutes.
Upload speeds are the fastest in the UK, with large video and data files being sent almost instantly and posting hi-resolution photos on Facebook, takes seconds.
Unlike other companies, Openreach offers network access to service providers on an open, wholesale basis, supporting a competitive market. For further information on Openreach’s super-fast broadband programme visit www.superfast-openreach.co.uk
The complete list of South West exchanges announced today is as follows:
Barnwood, Bedminster, Bishopsworth, Cirencester, Devonport, Dorchester, Eastville, Exmouth, Fernwood, Gloucester, Henbury, Kingswood, Newton Abbot, Poole, Teignmouth, Tewkesbury, Weston-Super-Mare, Yeovil
01.11.11
Britain set to get 300Mbps broadband from next year
BT has announced a range of upgrades to their cable network, including 300Mbps for 6 areas from early next year.
They are also doubling the speed in other parts of their network to 80Mbps and have committed £2.5bn to have fibre broadband available to two thirds of UK homes by 2015.
Read more on silicon.com: http://bit.ly/pRCMXh
15.03.11
Fujitsu aims for high speed broadband for all
Fujitsu is to create a superfast broadband network for rural parts of the UK, rivalling BT's service, by applying for government funding in partnership with local authorities to create the network.
"The Fujitsu network will offer fibre optic cabling directly to homes - so-called Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH). That could bring speeds in excess of 1Gbps with the potential to go even faster."
Virgin Media and TalkTalk have already said they will use it to provide internet services. It will also be open to local authorities.
See the complete article on bbc.co.uk: http://bbc.in/f958Jv
14.03.11
The Challenge of Digital Dorset Taskforce Reviews All The Options
The Digital Dorset Taskforce, part of Dorset Chamber of Commerce & Industry [DCCI,] is investigating how faster broadband speeds can be brought to businesses across Dorset.
"The real challenge is to spread better broadband speeds across all of Dorset, from Lyme Regis to Christchurch," says Digital Dorset Taskforce Chairman Dr. Monica Seeley. "We started by talking to BT, who are laying high-capacity fibre cable to the National Sailing Centre at Portland in their capacity as an Olympic sponsor. Now we are talking to other suppliers- wired, satellite and wireless. We are hoping the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK initiative will help us."..read full release
25.01.11
Dorset Business Needs Faster Broadband Speeds and Needs it Soon!
Dorset businesses need much faster broadband speeds throughout the county and need the upgrade soon, says Dr. Monica Seeley, Chairman of the Digital Dorset Taskforce, part of Dorset Chamber of Commerce & Industry...read full release
24.01.11
Fibrecity Can't Say When Work Will Restart, Says Council
Work to install the Fibreband network across Bournemouth halted in October 2010 and despite assurances it will re-commence, the council has not yet received a start date.
From Bournemouth Echo http://bit.ly/f1N8GR
21.01.2011
Swindon City-wide WiFi Struggles to Get Off The Ground
Swindon council embarked upon an ambitious plan to have city-wide WiFi by December 2010.
To date, only a pilot area has been enabled and now the company installing the network, Digital City, is seeking investors to complete the project despite being loaned nearly £1/2 million pounds by the council in exchange for a stake in the company.
From Swindon Advertiser http://bit.ly/eHssg3
17.01.2011
BT Announces 2 Market Towns in Dorset to Gain Fibre Broadband in 2012
BT has announced the market towns of Blandford and Wimborne are to be included in the next phase of fibre broadband:
"BT has named 41 market towns around the UK that will get fibre broadband access as part of its £2.5bn next-generation broadband rollout.
All the listed market towns will now be included in BT's fibre rollout and are set to get access to up to 40Mbps broadband via fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC)echnology by spring next year."
Article from Silicon.com: http://bit.ly/hmKPId
About the DDTF:
The Digital Dorset Taskforce, chaired by Dr Monica Seeley has been established by Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its role is to lobby and negotiate with BT and other internet service providers to improve broadband speeds and access for businesses across Dorset.
Digital Dorset Taskforce group on LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/bi95oD
Photo: The Dorset Chamber of Commerce’s Digital Dorset Taskforce meets at Poole- left to right [standing:] Darren Roberts [Dorset Public Sector Network Procurement project,] Luke Williams [DDTF member,] James Selby Bennett TD [Country Landowners & Business Association,] Louise Harper [DDTF Secretary.]
