“A new collaboration between Fujitsu, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Cisco plans to deliver next-generation broadband to 5 million homes and businesses in rural areas of the UK. Fujitsu will create an open-access wholesale network.”

To read more … http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4643-new-collaboration-to-offer-ftth-to-5-million-rural-homes-and-businesses.html

Plus more here too:
http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/networking/3273877/fujitsu-announces-15-billion-broadband-fibre-rollout-plans/

The aim of the survey is to find out how businesses across Greater Manchester use the internet.

The launch of the survey follows the announcement by the Government earlier this month that the UK is to have the best broadband network in Europe by 2015.

Sana Nabi, Policy Officer at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Chamber is keen to find out how businesses find the network at the moment and how it addresses their needs.”

“All businesses use the internet in one way or the other and this survey aims to demonstrate the demand in our region. By completing this survey, businesses will help to show this demand and ensure our region is one of the first to have access to a super fast network.”

To take part in the survey please click here

That was the overwhelming view of more than 250 people attending the breakfast meeting on Friday 15 January 2010 organised by NW Insider in partnership with Corridor Manchester, New East Manchester, MDDA, Geo and NCC Group.

The meeting was organised to generate debate about how we can get Next Generation Access (NGA) digital infrastructure across Manchester on the most affordable and accessible basis possible. Read the original news story on this page.

We now need your help!

We need to know what your needs and aspirations are. What would be the benefits of fibre to you and your business or organisation?

Fill in the registration form

We have already had a great deal of interest by people registering their interest in getting connected to the new Manchester fibre network by filling in the registration form and now we need more input from you!

The project is starting with the Corridor, not just Oxford Road, but Hulme, Ardwick and Knott Mill too, and there are wider aspirations to spread this out across Greater Manchester, with a second phase of development using as much of the Metrolink as possible as a further starting point.

So, as well as people in the Corridor area, we also want to know what you want from anywhere in Greater Manchester. Please fill in the registration form and let us know your views.

Please also tell us about how you think this project would help you. Are there, for example, new and innovative ideas for services and / or businesses that you think could come out of this? Let us know by completing the Comments box on the registration form.

Even better please cascade this to any networks you are involved in and ask them to respond, as well as sending it out to friends, family and anyone else you think would be interested. If you want further information or clarification then just let us know.

Use the #iwantfibre hashtag on Twitter

If you are on Twitter (MDDA is on Twitter) you can also use the hashtag #iwantfibre followed by your full postcode, like this…

Please note that we’ll get more useful information from you via the registration form but every tweet helps. Thanks!

Jackie Potter, chief executive, Corridor Manchester said: “The installation of the new fibre optic cables will create a new infrastructure on the Corridor that will not only deliver much faster broadband speeds but through the open access network allow organisations, businesses and even individuals develop and test their own ideas for uses of the new technology without being held back by current limitations.”

The most immediate impact for people living and working on the Corridor will be much faster broadband capacity of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) and more, critically, for both download and upload uses.  Users will be able to buy services from different service providers on the network providing internet access, TV, telephone and other data services too, as the new network will be genuinely “open access” allowing all service providers to lease the optical fibre from Geo to provide services to their customers.  There is also potential for services and applications to be made available for free without having to go through an internet service provider.

The Corridor network project is managed by MDDA and funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).  Once the first phase of fibre installation is completed, it is already planned to expand the fibre optic network to east Manchester and elsewhere in the city by using both the existing and planned Metrolink lines.

Damien Bourke, policy & partnership manager for NWDA, said: “This is the first step on a journey to help make Manchester an increasingly competitive international city – a city in which businesses can find new and sustainable markets which in turn will help drive the regional economy. What better place to start this process than the Oxford Road area, where next generation fibre broadband will only generate further wealth from the people, ideas and innovation that make the Corridor a unique place to do business.”

Geo was awarded the contract in December 2009 following a successful tender to deliver the first phase of the fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network in partnership with Manchester City Council (through MDDA).  The initial phase will provide connectivity to 200 homes and businesses around the Corridor area of Manchester.

Geo is expected to start the first phase of network deployment in the spring.  Further connections directly to 1500 homes and businesses, will be phased over the next 12 months.

Chris Smedley, chief executive, Geo said: “Geo is delighted to be working with Corridor Manchester and the MDDA to deliver this important infrastructure. Creating a true open access network with next generation fibre broadband capable of fully symmetrical world – leading broadband services will radically change the way people use the internet for business and social use.  Geo’s unique business model is ideally suited to helping the UK to meet the challenge of building the new networks needed for the country to compete on the global stage and we are proud to be associated with this landmark initiative.

Update:

How to register your interest in getting connected

Just come across this fascinating news story from one of my favourite European countries, Finland. As well as gaining the legal right to have at least 1Mb access by next year it has now been agreed that everyone will have the right to a 100Mb connection by the end of 2015. Perhaps even the reindeer will all be on-line by the time the UK gets round to this. Here is the news story:

“Starting next July, every person in Finland will have the right to a one-megabit broadband connection, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Finland is the world’s first country to create laws guaranteeing broadband access. The government had already decided to make a 100 Mb broadband connection a legal right by the end of 2015. On Wednesday, the Ministry announced the new goal as an intermediary step. Starting next July, every person in Finland will have the right to a one-megabit broadband connection, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Finland is the world’s first country to create laws guaranteeing broadband access. The government had already decided to make a 100 Mb broadband connection a legal right by the end of 2015. On Wednesday, the Ministry announced the new goal as an intermediary step. Some variation will be allowed, if connectivity can be arranged through mobile phone networks.” The weblink is here. ]]> http://www.manchesterdda.com/2009/11/10/finland-agrees-legal-right-to-100mb-broadband-for-all-by-2015/feed/ 0 http://www.manchesterdda.com/2009/09/17/bbc-story-on-how-home-fibre-is-taking-off-all-around-the-world-but-once-again-not-in-the-uk-yet/ http://www.manchesterdda.com/2009/09/17/bbc-story-on-how-home-fibre-is-taking-off-all-around-the-world-but-once-again-not-in-the-uk-yet/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:34:18 +0000 Dave Carter http://www.manchesterdda.com/?p=741 The BBC have been consistently good on picking up on these stories, this one last week from the BBC News site, showing that the deployment of the fibre to the home and businesses is surviving the downturn, at least in other parts of Europe. The UK is nowhere near the top ten ‘fibre to the home’ (FTTH) countries, languishing behind: 1. Sweden – 10.9%; 2. Norway – 10.2%; 3. Slovenia – 8.9%; 4. Andorra – 6.6%; 5. Denmark – 5.7%; 6. Iceland – 5.6%; 7. Lithuania – 3.3%; 8. Netherlands – 2.5%; 9. Slovakia – 2.5% and 10. Finland – 2.4%. In fact figures are so hard to come by for the UK, some commentators believe we are not even at 0.1% yet alone at the 1% which is sometime quoted. So much to do, so little time!!

This basically covers the Ardwick and Hulme wards and the southern part of the city centre, up to the canal and Portland Street.

More than 50 people crammed into the meeting room above the original Kro in Oxford Street to hear the Leader of the Council, Sir Richard Leese, Damien Bourke from the NWDA, Jackie Potter, CEO of The Corridor Manchester Partnership, and me talk about the project and what we hope to achieve.

There was a lively Q&A afterwards and plenty of networking. The next stage is to get everyone thinking about what we can do with (virtually) unlimited bandwidth.

You can read some more about this in the press release.

Click here to watch a Lower Quality version of the full Launch Speeches [Good for slower internet connections]

Tuesday 24 March 2009 will see Corridor Manchester become the first area in the UK to pilot next generation broadband as it launches a £500,000 project funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The project will open up a whole new range of opportunities for digital communications across business, social and healthcare sectors.

The project is the first phase in the realisation of a new digital infrastructure for the city, it will directly connect 500 businesses and 1000 homes in the Oxford Road area with fibre optic lines which will increase broadband speeds by up to 100 times than they are now.

Sir Richard Leese, leader, Manchester City Council said: “Even at this time of economic downturn Manchester has ambitious plans for its knowledge economy.  We are committed to delivering Digital Britain and next generation broadband, and this new advanced infrastructure will help create exciting innovative new applications for the Internet which will benefit our residents and businesses.”

Jackie Potter, chief executive, Corridor Manchester said: “One of the key aims for Corridor Manchester is to drive economic growth in the Oxford Road area of the city.  By providing high speed broadband we can not only help the universities, schools and hospital network enhance their services but also attract new businesses to the city.”

Coordinated by Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) the OJEU notice will be published week commencing 30 March 09.  It is expected that the work to install the fibre will begin in the summer, with the first cluster of properties online by the end of the year.

David Carter, head, MDDA said: “For Manchester to keep its competitive edge on the national and global stage, we need an effective high speed broadband infrastructure.  We cannot wait for the market providers to do this for us – it’s a bit like public transport, private operators don’t build new train lines or tram tracks – we need to provide the core infrastructure on which they can build.  This will be an open access network available to all service providers.”

While the fibre is being installed, MDDA will set up working groups from across housing, business, healthcare and creative sectors to assess and develop uses for the technology.

One use could be Telehealth Care, building on the experience of a national pilot project currently running successfully in Hull.

Patients use a video link to talk to their healthcare providers and specialists, which allows them to stay at home instead of making daily journeys to the hospital or GP.  Patients also monitor their own blood pressure and weight daily and the results are sent via the their phone line.

The service allows accurate monitoring without the person needing to visit their GP and helps to avoid hospitalisation, while notifying staff if early medical intervention or assistance is needed.

In Corridor Manchester such services would be provided at a fraction of its current cost, as the high speed broadband would be used instead of a phone line.  It would also enable much more reliable remote monitoring of patients conditions and better quality live video links.

Once the first phase of fibre installation is completed, it is intended to expand project by rolling it out across Manchester, starting with east Manchester area.  Expansion plans also include the creation a new Internet infrastructure hub at the former Sharp factory site at Newton Heath in east Manchester.

The pilot project is part of the Manchester Living Labs, which is an open innovative test bed for new products and services.

Corridor Manchester is the first of its kind in the UK.  It brings together Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to build on the partners’ investments in the 243 H Oxford Road area of Manchester and to generate further economic growth and investment.

By 2020 the partnership aims to increase the number of high value jobs, improve public realm, retail offer and transport infrastructure; attract innovative and knowledge to the area by providing excellent facilities and space; engage local residents and develop the strong cultural offering.

For Further Information

Please contact Lisa Ashurst by phone on 0161 234 3729 or by email l.ashurst@manchester.gov.uk

What is Next Generation Broadband?

Next Generation Broadband provides a new high speed digital infrastructure through fibre optic cables (as opposed to traditional copper telephone lines) directly into buildings.  This is often described as fibre to the premises (FTTP).

Few people have access to broadband at speeds more than 4Mbs (Mega-bits per second) and the speed varies on how many people are using it, the more people, the slower it runs.  By investing in the high speed fibre optics the aim is to ensure that the standard speed will be 100 Mbs, no matter how many people are using it.

Why is it so important to have high speed broadband?

High speed broadband will open up the Internet to more innovative uses and applications. Across the world high speed broadband is becoming more and more important to business. There are 20 countries that have connected more than 1% of their population with fibre to the home and the UK is not yet in that “top 20”.  In order to improve competitiveness in the global market place, the UK needs to move quickly and ensure that high speed broadband is not only available but also accessible and affordable for all.

Leading global digital cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Stockholm, San Francisco and Seoul intend to use their advanced infrastructure to ensure they are future proofed in terms of the massive changes that are going to happen in the way that people live their lives and the way institutions both public and private will operate in the coming decades.  Manchester wants to be able to compete with these locations on an equal basis and next generation broadband will be a key ingredient to help the city region to do so.

Manchester and “Digital Britain”

“A successful Britain must be a Digital Britain” is the commitment given at the beginning of the Government’s recent “Digital Britain” report.  It gives explicit support to the idea of local government and partnerships “working on a broader roll out of next generation networks as a central part of local regeneration and economic development strategies” and developing “useful models for development of broadband beyond the plans of major telcos.”

Manchester is going to build a globally competitive digital infrastructure, in line with the objectives of “Digital Britain” initially starting across key employment sites and regeneration areas.  The first is Corridor Manchester then it will extend across east Manchester to act as a catalyst for wider deployment across other key employment sites across the city region including Media City.

What is OJEU?

OJEU stands for the Official Journal of the European Union.  This is the publication in which all contracts from the public sector which are valued above a certain financial threshold according to EU legislation, must be published.  The legislation covers organisations and projects that receive public money. Organisations such as Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, Central Government Departments and Educational Establishments are all covered by the legislation.

Starting in East Manchester and services provided by Eastserve, the contract offers the potential to provide services to residents across each of the regeneration areas within Manchester.

The closing date is 8 August 2008. The Invitation to Tender and related documents are available on Manchester City Council’s website.