Nearly 60 homes and three businesses in Ashby de la Launde, a small village in Lincolnshire, UK, will be connected to a fiber network by the end of September. NextGenUs UK CIC and AFL Telecommunications announced on Friday the installation of a "community interest owned FTTH network" there. The privately funded network will provide its users with "super fast" 100 Mbps connections, according to the press release.
NextGenUs UK CIC is a founder member and supporter of a campaign, Final Third First, which aims to encourage the government to keep rural areas in the loop when it comes to broadband, according to Guy Jarvis, chief executive of NextGenUs. Rural communities in "NotSpot" or "SlowSpot" areas should not be deprived of high-speed Internet access, which he calls the "fourth utility."
As the government's "Big Society" drive opens up access to backbone networks, more and more local communities will take advantage of the NexGenUs/AFL partnership to create future-proof local networks safeguarded by CIC regulations. When communities become fully engaged and active in the project, their costs can be minimized, according to the release.
While U.K. communities like Ashby de la Launde are classified as the the "Final Third" slated to receive high-speed Internet, they can take matters into their own hands to get what they need, added Paul Thompson, managing director of AFL Telecommunications Ltd.
For more:
- see the release
- and the Final Third First campaign
Related articles:
Virgin tests viability of aerial-based FTTH connections
Motorola deepens FTTH presence with rural telcos
Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech employs Occam for $101 million broadband stimulus project