Dunston Hall confusion

Dunston Hall Hotel. Confusion about credit card deposits and rooms not ready. Neither were the Dutch people fully prepared for the way the reception girls handled the English language, I'm afraid.


The girls did their best and there was nothing that could not be put right after some deliberations, I guess.

Frisian Delegation arrived

Dunston Hall. Wednesday morning, 10:30 am. The Frisians have arrived! With the Vital flag high, they take possession of British territory.

Groningen to Norwich

Eelde. Groningen Airport, and of course, half the passengers were not present, when our mini plane was preparing for take-off. The crew already started to look worried. In the end, it became clear that some ten girls and boys people had been taking it easy in the wrong passenger terminal.


After a quick walk and passport check all could board our plane and Groningen was left behind. Destination Norwich! The little aircraft did not inspire much confidence initially, especially on the runway, when it was wallowing in all directions. That is supposed have been normal, I guess, because the two pilots were behaving very relaxed.

The 18 person passenger group held tight to their chairs, tried to look brave and concentrated themselves on coffee and sandwiches. An hour afterwards, with a wallowy and bumpy landing behind us, we were taken by bus to Dunston Hall Hotel, where a lot of confusion arose about credit card deposits and rooms not ready. Mine was okay, luckily, so I'm able to finish this posting now on the hotel ethernet.


Like herring in a fish tin


I was the heaviest passenger, so I had to sit up front. That must be the reason for the bumpy landing, I'm sure. A direct view on the crew inspired some confidence. Also, Wim and I can tell you that we have flown at 16.000 feet, and proceeded at about 180 knots.

The day before...

Tomorrow will be the day: the first one of our attendance at the Vital Rural Area Policy Forum. It should have been a good English language exercise for me, having written this handful of postings beforehand. Now over to the real thing.

What am I looking forward to?
A meeting in a good atmosphere, I guess. This is certainly not the first conference in Vital that I've visited. A lot of attendees are known to me. That helps.
Not always in the preliminary stages has there been peace and understanding. Some fireworks, when budget discussions came to their decisive stage!
Well, never were these so bad that hard feelings could not be repaired afterwards at the hotel bar...

What more to expect?
For me personally, a few days of blogging. At least, that's what the programme management team expects me to. So, if time permits, I'll be writing from hour to hour, describing what's happening and adding my private thoughts to the discussions.

Looking forward too I am to the short flight with the small chartered NOFA-plane from Groningen Airport to Norfolk. Some people aboard I know very well, and there will be some new faces.

High speeds and taking some meteorological risks - okay, I was used to both, but nevertheless not so happily I'm awaiting the fact that not I will have the rudder in hand of the dangerously small plane we'll be passengering in.

Maybe that's just the little voice of the small heart inside of me...

Forum webcast

The NOFA Project management of Vital Rural Area announces:

The webcasting site of the International Policy Forum on Regional Development in the framework of the transnational and European project Vital Rural Area is now 'on air', although still under construction.

During the Policy Forum on September 17th and 18th, 2009, Gallomanor Communications from Bradford upon Avon (Wiltshire, UK) will publish here footage, photos and interviews with and impressions of participants, keynote speakers and workshop facilitators. Visitors will be able to make comments and put questions to the chair and speakers. In this way, the Policy Forum will be webcasted almost in real time.

Access to this webcasting site is made possible via a special button on the website Vital Rural Area. Please inform your colleagues of this opportunity to witness the forum whilst not being present at Norwich. You find the button to access the webcasting site in the right hand navigation bar of: www.vitalruralarea.eu .

In the same navigation bar you'll also find buttons to access:

a) and join a groups discussion on rural and regional development on LinkedIn;

b) a blogside where Andree Hofer, Oeds Holthuis and Gijs van Hesteren will publish their personal and official impressions of the Policy Forum.

Wireless island discussion

Today, I have paid a visit to the Dutch Wadden island of Ameland. There, I attended a pleasant meeting about the plan we are developing: 'Wireless Ameland'.
I have discussed the idea with people from the municipality, the Tourist Board and several representatives of local enterprises.
The evening was a success, I think: a project team was formed and instated. In a few weeks we will reconvene, to discuss the homework we will have done by that time.
This night, I'm stuck at the island. The last ferry to the mainland has left hours ago.


Afterwards I sleep at Hotel Nobel. Good food, rich room.


Schiermonnikoog

I've been busy on the coastal islands recently: on Thursday I went over to the island of Schiermonnikoog to discuss innovation with the island town council. That was also quite a good afternoon. For them I made up this picture:

Work Package 3 Ambitions

Dutch version

‘SMART NETWORK SOCIETY’

In Vital Rural Area, Northeast Fryslân region

Sent to the project partners in Work package 3 of Vital Rural Area, but here in this blog for the world:

The Province of Fryslân, the Internet Academy and Kabel Noord present their proposals for Work Package 3 of Vital Rural Area. This is a common initiative of these three organisations – from here on indicated as ‘the writers’. The goal of this proposal is to interact and add value to the WP3 proposal of the NOFA-municipalities.

Summary

The writers propose a cluster of interrelated projects. These are all part of an interactive platform which connects users, civilians, suppliers of services. These project interconnect with innovative technologies, as described in the next few paragraphs. Most of these are based on Web 2.0 and IP-technology. The real challenge lies in the participation of citizens, in the change of work processes and in the way of thinking of service suppliers.

Ambitions and innovative aspects

All work package partners have executed a desk research and a field research. The final report of this research has recently been distributed among the WP3 partners by the NOFA programme management. The results and analysis for the NOFA-region indicate that there is a problem concerning the availability and quality of commercial and non-commercial services in this rural region. Every imaginable solution will have to be founded on the aforementioned research analysis.

The writers are certain that improvements are possible. To make this happen, the use of ICT, broadband internet and Web 2.0 applications will have to be considered (see paragraph on technologies). Potentially, these are crucial tools to improve wellbeing and the quality of life, as long as these implementations and developments are socially, not technologically oriented.

Therefore, we think that the real innovative aspect of the proposed projects lies in the combination, integration and interaction of these technologies and in embedding them successfully into all layers of society.

Exemplary for these innovative aspects might be the formation and further development of virtual communities, as well as the search for local support. This support should be found with the potential customers for the services, but should also come from the suppliers and providers of housing, care, health, governmental, and welfare services themselves.

Partners

The main project partner will be the province of Fryslân. The provincial consortium will be completed by sub-partners from the region, e.g. the NOFA-co-operative, local municipalities, local housing corporations, home care institutions, hospitals, health professionals, technology specialists, citizen groups, village boards, et cetera.

Technologies

A number of technologies are already proven. These are presently freely available:
• Protocols - IP, HTTP, SIP, H323, SMS, PtP;
• Development models - Open Source and internet driven applications;
• Virtual developments - Web 2.0, Social Media and websites, Gaming, Virtual Communities;
• Hardware platforms – Broadcast television, PC’s, netbooks, IPTV-set top boxes, embedded PC-devices, touch screen devices, videophones, virtual service desks;
• Hardware platforms – glass fibre, cable & ADSL, satellite, wireless and cellular mobile internet access.

Projects

The writers propose a choice or mix out of some of the projects mentioned hereafter. Maintaining mobility, continuation of primary service supply and community co-operation, these are the buzz words.
The writers see the welfare, care and health sectors as primary co-operation partners.

Self help

The local rural communities must be enabled to help themselves:
Interactive neighbourly help, like the trading of favours and little jobs (transportation, shopping, gardening, cleaning, computer assistance).
Web 2.0 websites, dedicated to the village, will be the carriers of the virtual market places.
A web- and GPS-based public transport following system, coupled to tuk-tuk projects, used, driven and exploited by villagers.

Serious versus entertaining

Interaction and bundling of ‘fun’ services and ‘serious’ services promise to be corner stones of a healthy exploitation and implementation. The fun parts may well be able to provide the necessary funding for the less ‘funny’ departments of the virtual portals.
So a virtual service desk may be accompanied – or even enhanced - by a digital cinema for the younger village population.

Supplier bundling

To be developed and implemented: co-operative portals for the supply of and access to home care services, health services, housing services, municipal services, commercial services (banks, post office, library, shopping list, virtual working place). These portals should be partly physical (‘Kulturhuse’, Village Centres ‘2.0’, multi-functional centres), partly virtual.

Training and instruction

Not one of the above mentioned projects will be able to fly independently without proper training and instruction of certain professional and population groups.
The self help aspect is crucial, so village volunteers will have to come forward.
Also, on the professional side, the suppliers/providers of virtual services will have to alter their back office processes, sometimes even their way of thinking.
Training programmes will have to be developed and provided.

Actual projects

The writers are planning to conceive a master project called ‘Smart Network Society’. They’ll propose series of sub-projects, all related to the main plan.
The Smart Network Society will be the pilot for further implementation and upgrading. Content, pilot groups and geographical scope will have to be well defined. Once up and running, this definition of scope will have to be continuated and refined. Regular periodic field consultation is important, to make sure the projects are still being supported by the region.

International co-operation

This work package is part of an European funded project. International co-operation and knowledge exchange are very important. The writers invite the other three WP3 partner regions to join in the mutual effort to enable services like those mentioned above. Their minds are open to proposals from Denmark, Norway and Belgium.

Financing

Support will be very necessary for the financing of the proposed projects. Of course Vital Rural Area should play its role as instigator and conductor. The regional service providers will be expected to lend financial support too, although this might be more difficult for non-commercial suppliers than for others, like banking institutions or SME’s. Of course it
might be possible to find extra subsidies.

E.g. from:

• Vital Rural Area;
• SenterNovem, health & Care funding by the national Dutch government;
• The Wadden fund, a compensationary fund, dedicated to environment, sustainability and economy;
• The OP Noord, ‘operational programme Noord’, dedicated to innovation and society;
• SIA RAAK, a fund to connect higher education to knowledge demands from the market;
• Additional funding as advised, proposed and supported by the Frisian provincial ICT-Alliance;
• Private funding, e.g. from contractors, sub-contractors, commercial service suppliers.


Gijs van Hesteren, Martijn Ledegang, Max Vijftigschild
Dokkum - Leeuwarden, September 14th, 2009


Also read: A day of rural imagination

A day of rural imagination

Yesterday, I spoke with two stakeholders (one from the province of Friesland, one from the local academy for higher education) about the prospects for virtual services and eHealth related pilot projects within the 'Vital Rural Area' concept. Perhaps also out of the Vital project...

Often it's not easy to think clearly, when one has to start from nothing. But the results of the session did not come out of the total blue either. In the preliminary stage of Vital, there has been an intensive desk research phase and all three conversation participants had years of experience with ICT related projects behind them.

In the end, we came to an agreement and the next day I wrote in concept an overview of our conclusions. The draft will be assessed by my two partners and if agreed upon, I will publish it in this weblog.

By the way, it was perhaps not a coincidence, that I spent the next morning at a meeting of stakeholders from the north eastern region of Friesland. There were parties present like the housing corporation, employees of individual municipalities, the local municipal Vital Rural Area representative, and members of the management of the town hospital of Dokkum.

At this gathering, the people present expressed a lot of aspirations in the services, care, health and wellbeing area, the portent of which was augmented by the means of the stakeholders to support their plans effectively. Perhaps it will be possible to connect all initiatives in such a way, that the sum will add to more than the individual parts.

Later on in the day, I discussed all this with a financing and subsidy specialist: it might even be possible to enlarge the projects by adding subsidy to subsidy, funding to funding. We spoke about the Vital budgets, but only as a start. To the total funding might be added the RAAK educational fund, the ZIPC (for care related innovations), the OP Noord economic program and cofinancing by ten to thirty local and regional SME and non-SME participants. Total project funding might raise up to several millions for the next four years.

Of course, a lot of work will have to be done to make all this possible, but even this preliminary work might be subsidized in part.

Broadband Infrastructure In Vital Rural Area partner regions

1. Introduction

The Interreg IV-B project ‘Vital Rural Area’ is divided into three Work Packages. The package # 3 (‘Services’) is being executed in five regions around the North Sea:

- North East Fryslân, NL (NOFA, Vital Rural Area lead partner region);
- Province of Fryslân, Leeuwarden, NL (work package 3 chair);
- Vejen Kommune, Vejen, Denmark;
- Rogaland Fylkeskommune, Stavanger, Norway;
- Finnøy Kommune, Judaberg, Norway;
- Intercommunale Leiedal, Kortrijk, Belgium.

As a result of the desk research phase within the work package the participating regions have commented on their own broadband infrastructure and services. In this document, the Department of Economic Affairs of the Province of Fryslân and Kabel Noord have produced an overview and assessment of the broadband situation in the six North Sea regions within the work package.



2. What is broadband?

2.1 Data transfer rate

In our case, the term ‘Broadband’ refers to high data rate internet access. The parameters of ‘broadband’ have been developing very fast. A data transfer rate considered as ‘high’ in the year 2000 now seems rather slow. Also, the definition may vary, depending on the infrastructure. Glass fibre tends to be faster than copper, copper faster than wireless, wireless faster than cellular mobile. Depending on the kind of technology that is implemented within a certain network, relative speeds may vary.

2.2 Fixed price access

Generally, we are assuming that end users are able to access the broadband services at a fixed price per month.

2.3 Open network model

The best model for quick future development lies in the ‘open network’ model. The infrastructure should allow free access to all service providers. According to EU policy, open competition is expected to enhance innovation and competitiveness.

2.4 Scope of this document

In this overview, we focus our main attention upon the varieties already developed in the partner regions concerned.

3. Broadband technologies

3.1 Optical fibre broadband

Optical fibre (a glass or plastic fibre that carries light along its length) is widely used in fibre-optic communications, which permits transmission over longer distances and at extremely high bandwidths (data rates). It is generally considered as the next generation technology. Symmetrical transfer rates go up to 1 to 10 Gbps.
Investments are relatively high, compared to more traditional, copper based infrastructures. For incumbent operators the business case is sometimes difficult, because the glass fibre network competes with the existing copper based network. Developments in DOCSIS based technology promise serious competition for fibre optics.
Nevertheless, most parties expect that fibre optic networks will have developed into the dominant technology in the period between 2015 and 2025.


3.2 Cable broadband

Coaxial cable broadband provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a cable television (CATV) infrastructure. Cable broadband data transfer takes advantage of the high bandwidth of a cable television network. They are commonly deployed in Australia, Europe, and North and South America.
In the latest, DOCSIS-based technologies, download data rates have been boosted to up to 150 mbps. This way, cable broadband catches up again with glass fibre based broadband speeds. This advantage might well last for the coming four or five years. Obvious drawbacks now seem to be the energy consumption needed to maintain the network infrastructure and asymmetric upload and download bandwidth. In the more distant future, glass fibre still promises to be the most durable solution and to have the highest data transfer capacity growth potential.


3.3 DSL broadband

The DSL family provides internet access over the lines of the local telephone network. Usually, the upload and download speed are asymmetrical. The maximum potential data rates are considerably lower than those a cable based infrastructure can offer. Because of the world wide distribution of telephone infrastructures DSL is very widely available. The capacity potential of DSL in the near future is less than that of cable networks, therefore DSL-providers tend to be more urgently driven to next generation technologies.

3.4 Wireless broadband

First of all, so-called wifi hotspots may form a proprietary solution to provide mobile internet access to tourists and business travellers. It gives content providers a chance to offer time and location based services and information to selected groups.
Wireless infrastructures allow speeds of up to about 50 mbps. This might be realistic in a 1:1 connection, in reality the bandwidth has to be shared with other users. Also, the data rate speed may be adversely influenced by environmental conditions (objects in the line of sight, weather, distance).

Generally, wireless service providers have to limit the speed of internet access per end user (e.g. to about 256 kbps per user), mostly symmetrical in upload and download.
Wireless Internet access from fixed locations would not be our first choice. For consumers and small businesses, there are too many limits on the use of high data rate applications, like P2P-networking, VPN-software or (interactive) video and television services.

Sometimes, large distances or difficult geographical conditions have to be bridged for a data connection, e.g. fjords, seas, rivers, mountain ranges. In those cases, beamed wireless connections might be a good solution, as these could be specifically implemented as 1:1 connections and individual end user IP-streams can be efficiently routed beforehand. The cost of such a beamed wireless connection is only a fraction of the cost of a fixed line (although the potential data capacity of a line connection might be exponentially higher).

3.5 Satellite Broadband

The greatest asset of broadband via satellite is the availability world wide. Also, during the last years subscription costs have been diminishing. On the other hand, access policies, high latency and sensibility to weather conditions offer considerable drawbacks.
In the partner regions, this kind of broadband service is not widely used. Because of it’s drawbacks, we consider satellite broadband to be only useable in isolated, thinly populated areas that are very difficult to connect in any other way.

3.6 Cellular broadband

As cellular networks move to third generation networks they can support fast data, using technologies such as HSDPA and UMTS. These technologies provide broadband access, e.g. with a cell phone, PC-cards, or USB cellular modems and cellular broadband routers.
The main barrier to the take up of mobile broadband is the limited coverage of most mobile phone networks. In many areas customers will not be able to achieve the speeds advertised. In addition, there are also issues with connectivity, network capacity and application quality .
Therefore, we think that cellular broadband will be mainly used by travellers, for mobile data access.


4. Broadband in North Sea Regions

4.1 Intercommunale Leiedal, Kortrijk, Belgium

According to the broadband paragraph in the Leiedal desk research, there is a 100% area coverage by copper based networks, ADSL and Cable. The data rates are relatively slow, with average speeds of ca. 4 mbps download and 512 kbps upload. The author of the Leiedal desk research views the ‘closed’ nature of these networks as a big drawback . Competition and innovation are inhibited, because the infrastructure providers permit the delivery of services only to themselves. The author of this text is inclined to agree with this opinion.

There are other broadband varieties available in Leiedal.
-Mobile (cellular) internet is a growing commodity. Limited data rates, transfer quantity limits, low bandwidth and varying area coverage pose problems, but for mobile use this technology looks like an attractive proposition (also see remarks in paragraph 3.6).
- Fibre: a number of fibre initiatives is evident. These are providing the beginning of a fibre backbone for further future development of the optic infrastructure.
There are several small public owned optic rings. One of those provides a social service called ‘Telecare’.
Also, there are several urban based Fibre to the Home projects. These pilots enable service providers to experiment with interactivity and user generated content.
The university fibre network BELNET also provides high rate data access for public authorities.
In combination with the fibre based backbones of the national internet providers these local networks are part of a developing public open fibre network.

The regional authorities have one great ambition: a public, open wireless network for non-commercial services in home care, security, education and culture.

4.2 Rogaland Fylkeskommune, Stavanger, Norway

The broadband paragraph in the Rogaland desk research mentions a number of infrastructures.

There are two ADSL service providers in the Rogaland region. The Telenor network is open to other service providers. The asymmetrical data rates enable up to 16 mbps download and 800 kbps upload.

The Lyse/Altibox firm, basically an energy company, runs a fibre network with internet, telephone and television services. The network is not open to other ISPs. Subsea tunnels have been prepared for fibre cabling, but local interest has been low so far. Undoubtedly, the availability of – perhaps cheaper – services from ADSL impedes wider deployment. Maybe opening of the network to other providers would be an encouragement to lower subscription rates and raise data transfer speeds, which are now limited to ca. 50 mbps symmetrical.

Nextnet provides wireless internet access to schools and companies. This particular service is considered to be expensive. The other wireless option is the local government sponsored ‘Direct Connect AS’. Bandwidth reaches rates of up to about 2000/350 kbps, which is not bad, but of course the limitations mentioned in the paragraph on Wireless broadband still apply. The network is not yet operational, the date of completion will be about the beginning of 2010.

4.3 Finnøy Kommune, Judaberg, Norway

For data transfer, the Finnøy Kommune is only accessible through wireless networking.
The Rogaland government is trying to develop social services through the Direct Connect AS wireless infrastructure.

4.4 Vejen Kommune, Denmark

A number of infrastructures is available in Vejen. In large areas of the municipality four different broadband technologies are available, in some there are three, and in a small area only two.

Coaxial cable networks are available for most inhabitants in four cities and a number of towns. IP-services are not supported everywhere. The cable networks are customer owned.

Considered as the biggest asset of the Vejen Kommune is the fibre network, which is established by subscriber-owned regional energy companies. The networks combine all the characteristics that make fibre optics interesting: open access, availability to a variety of services, high symmetrical data rates and high capacity bandwidth. The fibre network is now available for 40% to 100% of the households and companies.


4.5 Noordoost-Friesland, the Netherlands (NOFA)

Several broadband infrastructures are available in North East Fryslân.

ADSL: During the last century, national telecom company KPN has built an extensive telephone network. This has been upgraded to a DSL-network in the last ten of twelve years. Speeds have gone up to ca. 10 and 1 mbps download and upload. Market share in this region is believed to be about 25%. The ADSL-network is open to a number of ISPs.

Coaxial cable: about 50% of all households in the municipalities of Dongeradeel, Dantumadeel and Kollumerland c.a. are provided with high data rate access by the public owned cable company Kabel Noord. In the municipality of Achtkarspelen cable access is provided by the UPC company. Both cable networks are in the process of being upgraded to EURODOCSIS 3, with speeds of up to max. 60 mbps download and 4 mbps upload.
The UPC network is not open to other ISPs. The Kabel Noord coaxial network on the other hand has been open for years: it has been the first Dutch cable infrastructure to offer customers a choice of three ISPs.

Optic fibre: KPN as well as the cable companies have invested in optic fibre infrastructures, partly to provide for their own backbones, but also as a commercial product for SMEs and non-profit organisations (schools, universities, local government, health and care institutions). The KPN fibre network is not considered to be an open infrastructure, but Kabel Noord is the first Northern Netherlands cable operator that has established an open Fibre to the Home facility, in the Dokkum neighbourhood Trije Terpen.
The co-operative society 'Fryslân Ring' is very active – and successful - in the bundling of fibre demand under regional SMEs and organisations. The society co-operates with local and provincial government, and with the network operators KPN, UPC, Ziggo and Kabel Noord.

Wireless: In the NOFA region there are several wireless ‘hotspots’. Most of these are situated in hotels, bungalow parks, camping’s. The hotspots have been financed by the locations themselves or by national wifi hotspot providers, e.g. KPN, or T-Mobile.
Kabel Noord is the other principal wireless provider in the region. It maintains a series of wifi hotspots in yacht harbours, bungalow parks and in the city centre of Dokkum. Dokkum is reputed to be the first Northern Netherlands ‘wireless city’.


5. Conclusions

5.1 General conclusions

The paragraphs above prove that public ownership of broadband network actively encourages innovations and socially relevant applications. This effect is evident in all the regions participating in this work package. Some examples follow below.

An open access structure is necessary for fibre based networks, to improve competition, lower subscription rates and encourage innovation.

Significant differences can be attributed to the six types of broadband infrastructures which we have mentioned in paragraph 2. In the next paragraphs, some of these differences are discussed.

5.1.1 copper based networks

DSL and coaxial cable are very widely available and at this moment provide adequate high rate data transfer. The cable technology has some advantage over DSL in its upgrading potential. The cable operators are not standing first in line to upgrade their ‘last half mile’ to fibre optics. They are not thrilled by the prospect to have to compete with their own copper-networks. On the other hand, DSL providers know very well that they have been stretching their telephone infrastructure to the limits already; therefore, they recently began to invest in fibre technology structurally, mostly ahead of their cable based competitors.
Fibre optics are almost unanimously considered to be the best solution for the future. Roll-out works best in previously un-provided areas. Governmental support and bundling of demand are important to speed up the process.

5.1.2 Wireless and satellite networks

Wireless networks would best be suited to additional applications in tourism and mobility, maybe even as an alternative to voice calling in cellular networks. Of course, there will always be areas where it is difficult to build fixed infrastructures. Satellite internet access would be complementary, for applications where quickness to realize a connection is important or where even beamed wireless connections are difficult to construct.

5.1.3 Cellular mobile networks

Cellular infrastructure could be available ‘anytime, anywhere;, but looks to be permanently limited in its bandwidth and coverage.

5.2 Some regional broadband remarks

5.2.1 Kortrijk

In the Kortrijk region, one of the small public owned optic rings provides a social service called ‘Telecare’. Several urban based Fibre to the Home pilots enable service providers to experiment with interactivity and user generated content. The regional ambition for a public, open wireless network should lead to increasing non-commercial services in home care, security, education and culture.
In our opinion, this is a great and promising ambition, well suited to the Vital Rural Area goals. Wireless broadband could well be a worthy carrier for these services. Nevertheless – and of course this might be a biased opinion - we think that in many instances, a fixed network would be more suited, because of bandwidth and coverage. The wireless variety would be best suited to applications in tourism and mobility, maybe even as an alternative to voice calling in cellular networks.

5.2.2 Rogaland

In Rogaland, the wireless local government sponsored ‘Direct Connect AS’ will be active in the near future and it will provide non-revenue driven services and application
Our recommendation would be to put extra governmental emphasis on the development and deployment of the regional fibre network owned by the energy company, on condition that the infrastructure will be open to other ISPs. The services developed for the wireless network could well be provided on the fibre network as well. A synergy that might serve both access varieties.

5.2.3 Finnøy

The Finnøy Kommune is only accessible through wireless infrastructure.
The development of social services through the wireless network is positive. It’s a pity that the present wireless technologies limit data rates, but these will have to do, presently. In the near future, it may be advisable to invest in an optic fibre backbone to the island.

5.2.4 Vejen

The coaxial cable networks in Vejen Kommune are customer owned, which allows development of services, that are not primarily revenue-driven.
The fibre network is public owned and offers an increasing number of commercial and non-commercial services. As a solution to rural problems, the infrastructure has been acting as a digital multiplier.


5.2.5 NOFA

In the NOFA region, there are several competing infrastructures.

Cable: the cable networks are ‘closed’ in Achtkarspelen (the UPC part of NOFA); customers in the rest of the municipalities have a choice of three ISPs, on the coaxial network of Kabel Noord. This company has been executing a lot of non-revenue driven projects during the last decennium.
Fibre: Kabel Noord views the recent coaxial cable upgrades with EURODOCSIS 3 as a positive enhancement, but expects that eventually, fibre optics will end up as the only infrastructure that is really future proof.

The fibre demand-bundling activities of Kabel Noord and the co-operative Fryslân Ring form a powerful engine behind SME innovation.
As a publicly owned cable operator, Kabel Noord tries to show its social relevance by investments in Fibre to the Home, to the Business and to Organisations .

Wireless: In the Kabel Noord project ‘Dokkum Online – 3D’ new business models are being developed, as well as innovative methods to approach and serve tourists. Also, a new project is underway, to convert the island Ameland into the first Dutch ‘wireless island’.

The Kabel Noord coaxial, wireless and fibre infrastructures provide the basis for the development of a number of socially oriented services, in E-care & E-health, E-learning, E-government, E-tourism and E-entrepeneurship.

Gijs van Hesteren, Martijn Ledegang
Dokkum - Leeuwarden, August 28th, 2009



A link to the original document with a complete set of notes will be placed here at short notice.

New pictures TT Vlagtwedde 2009

There are two photo albums available now:

TT Vlagtwedde 2009

Prijsuitreiking TT Vlagtwedde 2009

More to follow.
GvH