Wednesday, 18 November 2009

TV Spectrum to Deliver Rural Broadband?

Ofcom are looking into use of so called white spaces in the TV spectrum that could be used for other purposes such as delivery of broadband into rural areas.

For more detail on this see the Ofcom website: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2009/11/nr_20091117a

On the surface of it this is good news - this could bring fairly high bandwidth over long distances and be relatively unaffected by buildings, trees or weather. However the key comment in the Ofcom article is "this technology remains largely unproven and a significant amount of work needs to be done..." in other words, don't get your hopes up!

The trouble is this 'new' technology will require new equipment both at the transmitter and receiver ends of the communication path. As with any new technology it will have technical challenges before it can be relied on. In addition in its early days it is likely to be expensive (volume drives down price but cannot be achieved until the technology is mature - the classic Catch 22 of tech companies!).

Nonetheless we should welcome such innovation and hope that some UK companies can be the ones to bring this to market thereby benefiting both themselves, the rural communities and the economy at large as they will need to employ staff to manage their growth!
Posted by NGA UK at 08:59 2 comments

Friday, 6 November 2009

Messages for the Community

I'm putting this out for comment. Please feel free to make any suggestions you feel worthwhile.

I have come to understand the dilemma of trying to put in place a community project. It is easy to gain support - a small number of people will always be found to help and support the project. The critical factor is broad engagement. How do you not only inform the whole community about the project but engage them to the extent that they are willing to express a genuine level of interest. Without that broad support the project goes nowhere.

And so I move on to the next phase of my project - community engagement. And I would like to ask for your help. Below is the messaging that we are putting together in an endeavour to broadly engage my local community for our NGA project (through a variety of means). This has been compiled from comments received from the existing supporters as well as my own thoughts and experiences and, of course, those other rural activists with whom I have the pleasure of engaging. I'd like to ask for your thoughts now, as well. Am I missing anything? Am I misrepresenting anything?

All input will be very gratefully received!


LECB (Lane End Community Broadband) will deliver a new & improved broadband service

* Superior bandwidth to allow access to all Internet information & services
* Next generation telephony solution
* Freeview digital TV service (possible to include in the package)
* Access to a wide variety of Internet-based applications (e.g. BBC iPlayer HD, SkyPlayer, XBox Live, Online Banking etc.)
* Potential for a new range of public services (Telecare - healthcare via the Internet, eGovernment)


No need for a BT connection

* One line for Broadband, telephone & (potentially) Freeview TV
* Retention of your existing phone number
* Potential for future integration with your mobile phone

A more reliable service

* Our network will be the latest technology, unlikely the copper plant that BT uses that is more than 100 years old
* It is far less likely to go wrong
* If it does, fixes will be done far more quickly as we will only serve our community

A less costly alternative

* LECB aims to offer this package at around the same, or even less, than you currently pay

A service that will be available to everyone

* We will offer a limited speed, entry-level service that will be available free of charge for those who cannot afford a broadband service
* Digital inclusion is vital for the future of our community and our country

Protect the Future for your Family

* This will be a flagship project that will be used by generations to come
* It will increase the visibility of the Lane End community
* Next generation broadband services can increase the value of your house
Posted by NGA UK at 23:07 3 comments

We are on The Edge

I spent a couple of days this week at a Telco 2.0 conference in London. Excellent subject and some great presentations and interaction. The premise of the conference is essentially to look at the evolving business model of the telco and how this can take advantage of Web 2.0 like business practices.

We heard from a vast array of 'experts'. Vodafone showed us their new 360 solution which looked great, but sadly the demo failed as there was only a GPRS connection available! We heard from Spotify, the new streaming media service. We had a panel comprising Fergal Sharkey, now CEO of UK Music with representatives from the music industry, the advertising industry and BT and Virgin - all the players in the mix, and guess what? They had consensus on issues such as varying business models to use in the delivery of such content. They also agreed that the 3 strikes rule is not going to make any difference to the illegal download of music.

Another panel looked at SaaS, or Software as a Service. You may not have heard of this but you are probably familiar with the concept of using applications or services that are not resident on your computer but within the 'cloud'. This model is rapidly growing and new applications are available almost every day - both for the consumer and business. It is also a growing trend for people to be using these services (how many gmail users are there now?) and for businesses to put some of their mission critical functions in the hands of SaaS providers (think of the growth of salesforce.com as an example).

Talk was made of the next wave of content: HD video, healthcare services, home networks and many others. All in all I came away with the reinforced impression that we are moving into the age of digital maturity. An age where the Internet has truly grown up, become a ubiquitous tool and a vital part of the lives of future generations.

So yes, we are on the edge. The edge of something transformational, the edge of something truly great. Unfortunately the platform we are standing on is narrow and while we look on one side to the huge benefits such technical advances will bring to us we only have to look down to understand how close we are to falling back into the digital chasm. I cannot tell you how many people I spoke to who have a concern over the broadband infrastructure in the UK - and these are people in the communications industry! I had many conversations about just how good this would be if only we could get it. And I came away with another impression: I have been saying for some time that the economy of the UK could suffer dramatically if we do not improve our broadband position and that has been reinforced but I would like to turn it on its head and express it differently. The UK economy would have a massive boost if we truly embrace our digital future and give unlimited broadband access to all. We are a nation of innovators and entrepreneurs so let's stop stifling that creativity and put in place an infrastructure to support it.
Posted by NGA UK at 22:42 1 comments
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