Location: Sheffield City Region! permalink

South Yorkshire Recruitment firm have the UK’s fastest broadband.

Industrial Personnel ltd, one of South Yorkshire’s most successful recruitment agencies has another

accolade to add to the list. With a download speed of 66Mbps, Industrial Personnel have the UK’s

fastest broadband connection. This exceptionally high speed internet connection was provided by

Digital Exchange Ltd in partnership with DRBSY Ltd. The connection makes use of the revolutionary

new South Yorkshire fibre optic network, a unique collaboration between Yorkshire Forward and the

four local authorities in South Yorkshire.

Phillip Buckley, managing director of Industrial Personnel ltd said, “Like most businesses we are

heavily reliant upon the internet to operate. Whether it’s email, accessing recruitment websites or

online banking we need to have access at all times. We have been using a standard broadband

connection for the past couple of years but we were only getting a speed of around 3Mb. Prior

to our IT support company (Digital Exchange) making us aware of the new South Yorkshire

capability, our only option for a higher speed connection was a leased line which carried with it

installation and rental costs running into the thousands. This simply wasn’t an option for us. Now

we have a high speed internet connection that is not only cost effective, but will allow us to grow

our business in ways we couldn’t have before. We are already looking at the possibility of video

interviewing candidates via Skype or Microsoft Messenger as a way of streamlining the recruitment

process.”

Neville Wilkinson, Technical Director of Digital Exchange commented “We have been rolling out

DRBSY VDSL connections for a couple of months now with an average connection speed of

35Mbps. We always run a speed test in front of the client to demonstrate the dramatic increase in

performance in comparison to their old connection. We were expecting a very quick connection

with Industrial Personnel ltd due to their proximity to the street cabinet. When we saw the test

results, even we were a little surprised to see such high figures! This level of connectivity at this

level of price is simply unmatched anywhere else in the UK, giving South Yorkshire businesses a

real competitive advantage. Remote Data Storage, Cloud Computing and High Definition Video

Conferencing are just some of possibilities when you are not confined by poor connectivity.”

George Taylor, CEO DRBSY Ltd commented "This is an excellent illustration of the unique capability

we have in South Yorkshire, DRBSY are extremely happy to confidently say we have the fastest

broadband in the region! People are now starting to realise that this new ultra fast service is not a

pipe dream, Digital Exchange are delivering living proof by bringing on new connections daily.

Location: Rotherham permalink

Bakersfield Court is a sheltered housing establishment in Rotherham, consisting of 44 apartments and 9 bungalows. The surrounding area also contains bungalows for the elderly. Everyone in Bakersfield Court is over the age of 55 and has some kind of disability. Despite this, the residents are a lively bunch who enjoy playing together on their Nintendo Wii.

In fact, they have requested to play some kind of "Wii Olympics" against other care homes in the region. Thanks to the Digital Region network, they have the capability to do this, and this is something currently being looked at. The residents of Bakersfield Court have the same needs as anybody else, and are looking to utilise the DRL network to access them.

Elderly people and the Nintendo Wii might seem like an odd combination to some people, but it shouldn't. Digital Region is keen to show the region that everyone can make use of modern technology, regardless of so-called barriers such as age. As well as their love of games consoles, the residents at Bakersfield Court are also keen to stay in touch with beloved family members. To do this, they have a video-conferencing suite as well as a computer with a working webcam so that they can use Skype to keep in touch with their families. This is one sheltered housing accomodation that is keen to make great use of the superfast broadband they receive from the Digital Region network,and they are doing so.

Digital Region is now discussing new ways of enabling Bakersfield Court to take advantage of the next-generation broadband. What is clear is that not all residents are fully aware of how to use programmes such as Skype, and are also unaware of the multitude of benefits available to them through the Internet. Digital Region aims to give them the necessary support and show them how they can use these tools to their full capacity, and hopefully this will increase the usage.

Discussions are also ongoing to try and enable extra video-conferencing tools so that more residents can speak to loved ones regularly. As well as video-conferencing to speak to family and friends, this would also hopefully enable GP's to speak directly to those in need rather than them having to wait for someone to be able to visit. These are simple ways in which such an establishment can reap the benefits of the DRL network in order to improve the standard of life for their residents.

George Taylor, Chief Executive at DRBSY comments. "This use of technology by Digital Region Ltd is an excellent example of the transformational benefits of high speed broadband that South Yorkshires Digital Region can deliver, DRBSY look forward to delivering similar projects across the region using the Digital Region network."

For more information about Digital Region Broadband click here

Location: Rotherham permalink

Barnsley Council took a giant leap into the digital age yesterday when it signed a five-year, £1m-plus contract for the provision of its communication networks.

The deal with Digital Region will cover council buildings and Barnsley schools.

The first council building to switch over will be the town hall next month and the first schools to connect will be the new Advanced Learning Centres at Carlton and the Dearne, also in November.

The Digital Region network is not only bringing high speed broadband to the council, its schools and citizens and businesses, but is delivering a secure network rated highly enough to qualify for public sector network accreditation. The network migration will take approximately two years to complete and will then generate savings of more than £100,000 a year.

Phil Coppard, chief executive of Barnsley Council, said: "The signing of today's contract is a key step towards achieving our ambitions of economic growth and a Totally Online Barnsley.

"This contract is good news for Barnsley for three reasons: it will save the council more than £100,000 when the network migration is complete; Barnsley schoolchildren will have access in the classroom to the best internet speeds available; the Digital Media Centre will be able to provide its tenants with superfast broadband. We hope this will encourage new businesses to start up in Barnsley."

David Carr, chief executive of Digital Region, said: "Our network future-proofs the council's communications, providing a technology foundation that greatly supports Barnsley's vision of getting its residents and businesses online by 2012.

"Barnsley now has the infrastructure to support a thriving digital economy, which creates employment and enables residents and businesses to benefit from cutting edge services.

"We greatly look forward to working with new and existing companies in South Yorkshire to make this vision a reality. By providing the region with a communications network that is faster, more secure and more reliable than anywhere else in the country, we are positioning South Yorkshire at the forefront of the UK's digital economy. Barnsley Council's decision to migrate all its communications onto our superfast broadband network is an important milestone in the region's development."

"It will enable the council to raise efficiency by sharing departmental services and will result in a saving of more than £100,000 a year. The network offers the highest quality information security, ensuring the council will meet the proposed government standards for participation in its public sector network, enabling it to tap into and share access to all parts of the public sector.

"And it is important because some areas of the council had unreliable connectivity, these can now access guaranteed speeds far in excess of those they used before.

"But most importantly, Barnsley Council can start to use the network to improve the lives of those who are socially disconnected from friends and family and help those who are digitally excluded gain access to services, which are only available with high-speed broadband."

The switch-over will also mean that Barnsley schoolchildren have access to the best internet speeds available. This is great news for children and their teachers who will benefit from higher quality, faster access to the internet and to web-based learning materials.

The Digital Media Centre in Barnsley will be able to use its guaranteed one gigabyte per second connection to provide its tenants with
superfast broadband speeds.

Eventually 97 per cent of Barnsley homes and businesses will be able to access the Digital Region network and take advantage of superfast broadband.

Barnsley Council says it is particularly pleased that the signing of the Digital Region contract took place at the start of National Get Online Week.

This initiative seeks to encourage people to use the internet to see for themselves how it could improve their lives.

For information about Digital Region services click here

For more information about Get Online Week click here
 

Location: Barnsley permalink

Digital Exchange & Digital Region Broadband today announced a partnership in which Digital Exchange Yorkshire Limited will take responsibility for delivering high speed broadband services to organisations across Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

Neville Wilkinson – Technical Director, Digital Exchange comments - “Digital Exchange has been providing telecoms, IT systems & support for over 15 years.  The introduction of Digital Region connectivity into our portfolio was a natural fit.  We see massive business benefits from this new offering and following careful consideration decided to add to our portfolio, a service which delivers high speed internet connections, yet ones that come backed with a guaranteed level of service.  These days people assume that it’s possible to get a decent broadband connection anywhere within a city the size of Sheffield.

One such customer had recently moved to a new premise on Sheffield Business Park, however due to their distance from the BT exchange and the route that the copper cabling took, we could only provide a speed of 0.25Mb using a traditional broadband connection.  This had a significant impact on their business as they are reliant on being able to submit online orders for stock and equipment.  For a short time it looked as though only an expensive fibre optic leased line would be able to offer the level of performance they required to operate their business, but this came with a high rental cost plus a £5000 installation charge; money they simply hadn’t budgeted for as part of their relocation costs. Connectivity using Digital Region was almost a miracle solution to their problem.  Even though they were still over 1.5 Km away from their street cabinet (the average is just 500m) they are now enjoying Internet download speeds in excess of 15Mb and all at the same price as the lesser performing broadband product. 

We have another customer who we are currently migrating to a Digital Region connection and as they’re located just 10 metres away from their street cabinet we hope to break the record for Internet performance for a broadband-based provision in South Yorkshire. 

Without doubt the connectivity we can now offer our customers within South Yorkshire will give them a real competitive advantage over those outside our region.  This new network is years ahead of anything else in the country and the ability to provide high performance, cost effective connectivity is something our customers have been crying out for. In addition we are currently developing complimentary services that make use of the Digital Region network such as voice, video, data back-up and disaster recovery.” 

George Taylor, founding partner and CEO of Digital Region Broadband comments, “We are very happy to have a partner with the pedigree of Digital Exchange on board. We are already mutually engaged on a number of high profile opportunities and see excellent future growth for both our businesses, driven by our Digital Region. Nick and Neville have a brilliant team and I am confident that they will add huge value to the capabilities that the Digital Region offers.”

About Digital Region Broadband

Digital Region Broadband (DRBSY Limited) is focused on delivery of superfast internet services via a growing network of reseller partners. DRBSY manages its own national IP network, used solely for business use and guarantees the highest service levels in the industry. DRBSY is channel focused and is the leading supplier of managed Digital Region services.

In terms of infrastructure, DRBSY now has one carrier class datacentre, Multi gigabit transit capacity and active peering relationships with most ISPs

DRBSY continues to grow profitably, with very low churn thanks to a sustainable business plan, good people, continuous innovation and a quality network.

What will the Digital Region Network deliver To South Yorkshire?

In technical terms this is the development of a Next Generation Access Broadband network, ubiquitously across South Yorkshire.

The key differences from today’s technology are :

Optical fibre will carry broadband and telephone traffic from the telephone exchange to the end of your street instead of copper wire.

The latest technology in telephone exchanges designed to carry data (e.g. internet traffic etc) rather than purely voice traffic.

This allows much greater bandwidth to the premises, It enables a guaranteed bandwidth, rather than an ‘up to....’ this is critical for the multiple applications now used across broadband. It enables more symmetry (i.e. download speeds can be closer matched to upload speeds) – this is critical for the enhanced video/teleconferencing applications which are to become more standard.

The capability to provide advanced applications, such as –

Remote data storage

Online GP surgery

IP-CCTV

Working from home

Enhanced video conferencing

Virtual shopping

Virtual classroom

Interactive customer service

For further info regarding Digital Exchange please click here

Location: Sheffield / Rotherham permalink

Digital Region Broadband announce partnership with local IT Leader

Lakeside IT and Digital Region Broadband, today announced a partnership in which Lakeside IT will take responsibility for delivering Digital Region services to organisations across Doncaster and South Yorkshire.

Commenting on the agreement, Ashley Harris, Managing Director, Lakeside IT, said: "The Digital Region network is the largest and most powerful broadband network in South Yorkshire and its growing rapidly. Partnering with DRBSY will allow our business to benefit from many opportunities driven by this new capability, we have deep knowledge of the local market and envisage taking advantage of a wide spectrum of opportunities, ranging from helping local businesses reduce costs through to enabling new communication channels such as video conferencing.

George Taylor, founding partner and CEO of Digital Region Broadband, remarked "we are very pleased to announce this agreement. It represents a significant step in forwarding the delivery of transformational broadband into the Doncaster area. We are delighted to be working closely with Lakeside, whose core values we share, Lakeside clients will benefit from our powerful network capabilities complimented by their excellent support."

George Taylor, CEO Digital Region Broadband (Left) & Ashley Harris, MD, Lakeside IT

About Lakeside IT

Lakeside IT is focused on providing effective computer and telecom support and solutions to SME’s within Doncaster and South Yorkshire. Lakeside IT is the IT Partner to the Keepmoat Stadium. A recent contract win establishes Lakeside IT as the Official IT Partner to Doncaster Rovers FC.

Lakeside IT are a passionate team with the aim of offering solutions that meet customer requirements. They currently support many local, national and international businesses.

About Digital Region Broadband

Digital Region Broadband (DRBSY Limited) is focused on delivery of superfast internet services via a growing network of reseller partners. DRBSY manages its own national IP network, used solely for business use and guarantees the highest service levels in the industry. DRBSY is channel focused and is the leading supplier of managed Digital Region services.

In terms of infrastructure, DRBSY now has one carrier class datacentre, Multi gigabit transit capacity and active peering relationships with most ISPs

DRBSY continues to grow profitably, with very low churn thanks to a sustainable business plan, good people, continuous innovation and a quality network.

What will the Digital Region Network deliver To South Yorkshire?

In technical terms this is the development of a Next Generation Access Broadband network, ubiquitously across South Yorkshire.

The key differences from today’s technology are :

Optical fibre will carry broadband and telephone traffic from the telephone exchange to the end of your street instead of copper wire.

The latest technology in telephone exchanges designed to carry data (e.g. internet traffic etc) rather than purely voice traffic.

This allows much greater bandwidth to the premises, It enables a guaranteed bandwidth, rather than an ‘up to....’ this is critical for the multiple applications now used across broadband.

It enables more symmetry (i.e. download speeds can be closer matched to upload speeds) – this is critical for the enhanced video/teleconferencing applications which are to become more standard.

The capability to provide advanced applications, such as –

• Remote data storage

• Online GP surgery

• IP-CCTV

• Working from home

• Enhanced video conferencing

• Virtual shopping

• Virtual classroom

• Interactive customer service

Location: Doncaster / Rotherham permalink

Further Digital Region cabinets have been activated in Meersbrook, Sheffield. Residential users in the area can now benefit from superfast broadband speeds delivering 40Mbps download and 10Mbps upload. The Digital Region cabinets are built adjacent to existing BT cabinets, the copper wire to you household or business premise is then connected to our network via fibre-optic cable.

The Digital Region network represents a local authority led investment in next-generation broadband services. Between now and 2012, services will be available across 97% of South Yorkshire. 

To find out when services will be available to your location, please call 01142 997260 or click here to email.

Brooklyn Road, Meersbrook - Digital Region Broadband services available now.

Shirebrook Road, Meersbrook - Digital Region Broadband services available now.

Beeton Road, Meersbrook - Digital Region Broadband services available now.

Location: Sheffield, Meersbrook permalink

South Yorkshire based DRBSY Ltd are opening up their network infrastructure to allow developers and service providers to test their applications with real time users in the field.

George Taylor, CEO comments. "We have an extremely powerful capability, available exclusively to South Yorkshire, now we need to take advantage of it! Imagine sitting in a dentists surgery, streaming three-dimensional medical imaging over the web, and discussing your condition with a specialist dental consultant in London. Or downloading a high-definition, full-length feature film in less than ten minutes. Or collaborating with students around the world whilst watching live interactive video of a university lecture. Ubiquitous, super-fast Internet access will make all this, and more possible. What we now need to do, is bring together cutting edge ideas to foster a culture of innovation which will maximise the value of the technology and deliver real benefits to society. Our Rotherham datacentre is ideally placed at the hub of the Digital Region to allow this collaborative action to occur."

Whilst the Digital Britain initiative no longer seems to be committed to supporting next generation broadband rollout for all, DRBSY is deploying super-fast broadband services in South Yorkshire, and if effective, we will move to other areas of the country. We are delivering Internet speeds up to 100 times faster than most of the UK's residential users have access to today. We are now looking to work with interested parties to pave the way for next generation services.

In the first instance, we're putting out a Request for Information (RFI) to help identify interested parties. We will welcome responses from the public sector, as well as members of the private sector or even residential users.

Our objective is to experiment with innovative ways to help make Internet access better, and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that we have in mind:

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and end-users can do with super-fast speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet predict.

New roll-out techniques: We'll test new ways to build data networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with all. E.g. working with new developers such as the British Coal site at Waverley where there are over 4,000 homes planned over the next 25 years.

Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. Our datacentre is service provider neutral and we are keen to foster an environment of "co-opetition" to drive maximum benefits to end users.

The testing environment will allow direct access to our multi-gigabit fibre optic network and hosting facilities.

DRBSY is in the process of enabling access for up to 500,000 consumers with 40Mbps internet connections. This is an effort to accelerate the pace of innovation by placing next-generation technology in the hands of individuals and entrepreneurs, and allowing them to discover the best uses for it. Super-fast networks may lead to unanticipated discoveries that will change how people connect, work, learn, play and contribute online. Digital Britain must continue to do its part to foster the development of research networks through a clear R&D funding agenda that is focused on broadband networks, equipment, services and applications. DRBSY asks for your support to drive this.

For more information, email innovate@drbsy.co.uk or call 01142 997260. 

See the article in the Sheffield Star here.

Location: South Yorkshire permalink

Digital Region concept becomes reality!

Mr Painter of Grimethorpe, Barnsley is the first user to connect to the long awaited Digital Region network.

Digital Region Broadband services are available now throughout South Yorkshire, the service uses the enhanced capacity of fibre optics 

to deliver much faster more reliable services.

Mr Painter comments, "Its impressively fast, at least 10 times faster than our previous connection. I'm reliant on the internet for work so this is making a big difference."

George Taylor CEO of DRBSY comments, "Whilst we promote our network with an 'up to 40Mbps' service, we are actually delivering speeds very close to this. 

Ian is receiving 38Mbps down and 8Mbps up! The worst case scenario is 25mbps down. This is pretty good considering there are large areas of the county that

can only receive speeds of 500kbps!"

Apparently DRBSY are trying to beat the current record for the fastest residential broadband service. 

Mr Painter comments "I'm happy with the super connection I have, but I'm keen to be an even faster guinea pig!"

To find out more about Digital Region Broadband visit www.drbsy.co.uk

To see this Superfast Broadband article in the Sheffield Star newspaper, please click here

Location: Grimethorpe, Barnsley permalink

Location: Sheffield permalink

Benefits - Digital Region Broadband runs a newly built network designed for high-performance, even at busy times. Many companies offer 'high-speed' broadband although historically, the speed of your connection has always been dictated by the distance of your premises from your local BT exchange. Digital Region broadband infrastructure is very different, as the broadband is delivered from a Digital Region hub which in most cases should be no more than 1/2 a mile from your location. For our heavy business users, this means the network performs consistently throughout the day.

You will be supported out of our Sheffield-based, multi-skilled service desk. There is no outsourcing of support to off-shore call centres. we provide regular investment in staff training to ensure skills remain up to date accross the team. Furthermore, multi-skilled support means a single point of contact. No more being passed from one department to another or having to try and work out for yourself who to speak to. Our agents are trained to handle a variety of issues themselves there and then, both technical and commerical.

Choose a quality connection today, from the business broadband experts.

Broadband Speeds FAQ

Q: What is the speed of the Digital Region service?

A: The advertised speed of Digital Region services is "upto 40Mbps" but what does this actually mean? Our network topology is based on FTTC (Fibre-to-the-cabinet) services, which means your business broadband is driven from a local hub which should never be more than 500 metres from your premises. This translates to estimated service of 25Mbps actual download rate, you could receive 40Mbps, but the actual figure cannot be confirmed until your service is installed.

Q: Why is the advertised speed not always what you get?

A: All broadband companies use the same BT copper lines to deliver service, most technologies used today are known as rate-adaptive: meaning, rather than offering a fixed bandwidth or speed, within the first week of service they will settle on the highest stable rate your line can support.. The rate that your line settles on will be affected by factors such as the length odistance between your premises and the Digital Region Broadband node, the quality of the copper, and the amount of local electromagnetic interference, which usually don't change from one broadband provider to another. Usually this means that the speed of your local line will be very likely to remain the same from one provider to another regardless of the speed advertised, although our products will be dramatically faster as they are not served from the exchange (expalined above)

It should also be noted that with rate-adaptive broadband this speed can change: for example, an increase in local interference can sometimes mean that a line drops down in speed, although it should also eventually return to the previous speed if the interference returns to previous levels.

Digital Region has conducted successful trials of VDSL2+ technology and continues to roll it out as a the standard option. VDSL 2+ will guarantee increase of a customer's speed.

Q: How does the fibre-optic technology in FTTC help?

A: Fibre-optics offers much less signal degradation over distance, as well as being less sensitive to interference, your business traffic will pass over fibre optic cables from your local Digital Region node directly to the core of our network. We do not contend traffic on our core. 

Q: Your service is advertised in Megabits - What is the difference between bits and bytes?

A: Computers talk natively in binary code – a stream of ones and zeros (eg : 0011100011). A ‘bit’ is a single one or zero, and line speeds tend to be measured in terms of how many of these bits can be transmitted in a second (so 8 megabits is 8 million ones or zeros each second). File sizes and disk capacities however, tend to be measured in ‘bytes’, which are simply blocks of eight (8) bits. So if you want to go from bytes to bits you must multiply by eight, and if you want to go from bits to bytes you must divide by eight. Your line speed is advertised in mega (or millions of) bits per second, but your usage limit is measured in Giga (or billions of) bytes per second. However, this is only approximate, as broadband networks add overhead so only very crude calculations of expected download time can be made using these basic numbers.

Location: South Yorkshire permalink

The newly built South Yorkshire Digital Region network uses fibre optic technology to deliver downloads speeds up to 40Mbps to Sheffield businesses, guaranteed at at minimum speed of 15Mbps. This figure beats the average in Oxford which is 14.5Mbps.

Click here for further info

Location: Sheffield permalink

Over 200 voters in Sheffield were turned away from polling stations in Ranmoor last night.

Returning officer John Mothersole apologised to voters who were turned away, saying: "We got this wrong."

He said the turnout had been "phenomenal... probably the highest turnout in 30 years".

Facebook, Twitter and other social networking websites have had an unprecedented impact on the UK general election and this is an indicator of things to come. Facebook have heavily promoted the election and this has generated record levels of voting in the student community, crystallised in Sheffield last night. Ranmoor has a high student population due to the Sheffield University halls of residence.

Next generation networks such as Digital Region could help prevent situations such as this occurring by delivering technologies to enable online voting. Currently you can only register to vote online, the actual voting process still has to be undertaken by post or by attending a local polling station.

On-line voting has been implemented in European countries and the USA since 2003.
On-line voting would deliver the following benefits:
• Accessibility. Casting on-line votes would prevent voters being turned away in situations such as the events which occurred in Sheffield last night.
• Convenience. People are increasingly using theinternet for transactions, and through its UK Online project, the Government aims to deliver all its services to citizens online to ensure "Digital Britain" becomes a reality.
• It may particularly appeal to younger voters (among whom voter turnout has tended to be particularly low). Last nights election has demonstrated  the impact the internet can have.
• Online voting systems can identify if voters attempt to vote for the wrong number of candidates and notify them accordingly (this was a problem with punch cards in the 2000 elections in the USA).
• Online voting could allow more information to be available about candidates and their policies. .
• On-line voting could reduce the expense involved in setting up and staffing poll sites.

The Digital Region Network delivers the quality and integrity required to guarantee critical information transfer, such as on-line voting.

To take advantage of the network built by your local authorities in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield please call us on 0114 299 7260 or click here to email us.

Location: South Yorkshire permalink

Digital Region Broadband VDSL delivers improved service capability when compared with SDSL.  Our VDSL service assures 15Mbps Download and 2Mbps Upload.

If you are based in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham or Sheffield we can offer massive savings when compared with your existing service.
Assuming you ordered your SDSL service before April 2nd 2010, we guarantee a minimum saving of 50% per annum.

How do we do it?

Digital Region Broadband uses a newly built network which is subsidised by your local authorities, this allows us to deliver innovative services such as Digital Region leased lines which significantly reduces costs when compared to legacy SDSL and leased line products.

To start saving, call our solutions team now on 0114 299 7262

Location: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield permalink

Join the Digital Region and help us bring 1,000 people online!

The internet's great isn't it? It lets us buy stuff, stay in touch with friends, get information and access a world of entertainment. Could you imagine your life without it?

10 million people in the UK don't have to. That's the number of people who have never been online. Worryingly, four million of these people are also amongst the country's most socially excluded. So the people who have the most to gain from the internet - whether to overcome isolation or to save money - are the ones who are missing out.

We are working to change that. Race Online 2012 aims to bring people and organisations together to improve the life chances of the 10 million people who have never been online, particularly the four million who are also socially and economically excluded.

For more info visit the Race Online 2012 website here

Location: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield permalink

Digital Region Ltd (DRL) and Thales UK today announced the first two contractual agreements with regional Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in South Yorkshire, in a move that represents an important milestone in the region’s digital transformation: the availability of end user fast broadband services to South Yorkshire’s business community.  

Business telephony and video conferencing services are now available on DRL’s next-generation network, delivered by RiPWiRE and DRBSY Ltd (Digital Region Broadband South Yorkshire), two ISPs, based in Rotherham and Sheffield respectively.

See Thinkbroadband article here

Location: Rotherham - UK permalink

Alcatel-Lucent today announced that its research arm, Bell Labs, has successfully demonstrated a technology that boosts the transmission speeds achievable over just one pair of digital subscriber lines (DSL). In a lab test of “DSL Phantom Mode”, Bell Labs achieved downstream transmission speeds of 300 Megabits per second (Mbps) over distances up to 400 meters (or 100Mbps at 1km). At these speeds, service providers will be able to maximise the ability of the existing copper infrastructure - widely deployed around the world - to satisfy demand for bandwidth-intense residential triple-play and business services, for years to come.

At its core, DSL Phantom Mode involves the creation of a virtual or “phantom” channel that supplements the two physical wires that are the standard configuration for copper transmission lines. Bell Labs’ innovation and the source of DSL Phantom Mode’s dramatic increase in transmission capacity lies in its application of analogue phantom mode technology in combination with industry-standard techniques: vectoring that eliminates interference or “crosstalk” between copper wires, and bonding that makes it possible to take individual lines and aggregate them.

“Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs’ DSL Phantom Mode lab test adds a whole new dimension to the ongoing ‘100Mbps for all’ debate. The fact that existing copper loops can facilitate 300Mbps at 400 meters reshapes the whole next-generation broadband competitive environment - and will open up a wide range of new business opportunities for ‘traditional’ DSL players,” comments Kamalini Ganguly, Analyst from Ovum. “This announcement shows that Alcatel-Lucent is seriously looking at all possible innovations to help its customers speed up the deployment of next-generation access networks, through a smart mix of advanced copper and fiber technologies.”

“We often think of the role innovation plays in generating technologies of the future, but DSL Phantom Mode is a prime example of the role innovation can play in creating a future for existing solutions and injecting them with a new source of value,” said Gee Rittenhouse, head of Research for Bell Labs. “What makes DSL Phantom Mode such an important breakthrough is that it combines cutting edge technology with an attractive business model that will open up entirely new commercial opportunities for service providers, enabling them in particular, to offer the latest broadband IP-based services using existing network infrastructure.”

Further research is being conducted to refine deployment models and determine a specific set of customer premises equipment (CPE)-models compatible with the DSL Phantom Mode technology.

Location: Alcatel Labs permalink

The new Digital Region Broadband website launches...

permalink

Today, Digital Region Broadband (DRBSY LTD) started the contractual process to deliver ISP functions over the South Yorkshire Digital Region Network. This is very exciting news, we will keep you posted with developments of 40Mbps internet service!

Location: Sheffield permalink

Digital Region and Thales UK have today announced the 'go-live' of the superfast Digital Region network at an event at Thales's Doncaster site. This pioneering multi-million pound project has the potential to create thousands of new jobs and is set to revolutionise how the people and businesses of South Yorkshire use the Internet.

'Superfast Broadband' is now one step closer to being available to home owners and businesses, following the network 'going live' at Thales's Network Operations Centre at Carolina Court, Wisconsin Drive in Doncaster.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who wish to sign up to use the Digital Region network can now do so, and the first residents and businesses in South Yorkshire could be using the service by early 2010.

The network, which is only available across South Yorkshire, will provide guaranteed download speeds of 25Mb and above - the UK average is currently around 4Mb. The network will also enable very high bandwidth upload speeds compared to current service offerings. To illustrate the capability of these speeds – it will for example be possible to download a music album in seconds and a film in just a few minutes.

Digital Region is wholly owned by Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of South Yorkshire. Together they attracted European, regional, local and private investment of over £90 million, including £30 million from the European Regional Development Fund. Thales UK is responsible for building, managing and developing the network.

Jim Farmery, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward, said: "Digital Region is a high profile and innovative project that is being keenly watched by the rest of the UK and the EU – when complete, it will position South Yorkshire as the transformational leaders in Next Generation Broadband Access technology.

"We hope the increased capability of electronic communication and data processing made available by Digital Region throughout South Yorkshire will act as a catalyst for existing and planned investments, and there is the potential for business to move to the region to take advantage of these benefits."

Terry Hodgkinson, chair of Yorkshire Forward, joined guests from Thales, suppliers KCOM and Alcatel-Lucent and the four South Yorkshire councils involved in the project - Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

The launch of the Network Operation Centre is on schedule and is a major landmark before the network is completed in May 2012.

Peter Batley, Managing Director of Thales UK's security solutions and services business, says: "Now the Network Operations Centre is up and running our attention is focussed on a number of ongoing trials that will take place between now and January."

David Holt, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Region, says: "The launch of the Network Operations Centre is a very significant milestone in delivering 'Superfast Broadband' across South Yorkshire. This is a truly groundbreaking project that will provide a major boost to South Yorkshire's economy, encouraging inward investment and providing a wealth of opportunities for businesses, local residents and public sector organisations."

Digital Region will place South Yorkshire at the forefront of the UK's digital communications agenda, with coverage of the network reaching 1.3 million people, 540,000 homes and 40,000 businesses – 97% of all premises in South Yorkshire.

The laying of fibre optic cables and installation of street cabinets for this next-generation broadband network is already underway, with the first connections anticipated to be ready for use in the market by early next year.

This is welcome news for the region, which has traditionally lagged behind the rest of the UK when it comes to broadband technology and access. Investment in Next Generation Access is happening in countries such as Korea, Japan, Holland, France, Spain and the USA, and the UK is under pressure to keep up. This investment means South Yorkshire is the first region in the UK to have superfast broadband rolled out and is one of the leading projects in Europe.

permalink

Digital Region Ltd has appointed a further telecommunications expert to lead the digital revolution in South Yorkshire. Lowry Stanage will be Deputy Chair to the recently appointed Maureen Donnelly. The Digital Region network will be the first of its kind in the UK, offering bandwidth speeds in the region of 25Mbit/s and enabling the delivery of new and innovative services to the general public, local businesses and to the public sector. Lowry has over 40 years' experience in the telecommunications industry.

For the last 10 years he worked abroad in Germany and Belgium and was latterly responsible for all of BT's Global Networks. Over a three year period Lowry significantly reduced the annual network cash demand, thus making a major contribution to BT's Global Business turnaround. His wider experience of the industry and, in particular, fibre infrastructure and IP technologies will make a significant contribution to the DRL Board.

In his new role, Lowry will support Maureen Donnelly. His responsibilities will include providing strategic direction to Digital Region Ltd, and ensuring that it supports South Yorkshire's economic priorities. He will also act as an ambassador for both Digital Region Ltd and South Yorkshire as a whole.

Lowry Stanage comments: "I am delighted to join Digital Region Ltd. This is a truly groundbreaking project that will provide a major boost to South Yorkshire's economy, attracting investment and providing a wealth of opportunities for businesses."

Maureen Donnelly, Chair of Digital Region Ltd, comments: "We're really looking forward to working with Lowry. His experience and expertise in this sector will further strengthen Digital Region Ltd, and enable the project to bring maximum benefits to the South Yorkshire area."

Digital Region Ltd is wholly owned by Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of South Yorkshire; Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. Once in place the network will bring speeds in the region of 25Mbit/s broadband to over 97% of the region, including 550,000 homes and 1.3 million people. The four South Yorkshire local authorities and Yorkshire Forward attracted European, regional, local and private investment of over £90 million, including £30 million from the European Regional Development Fund. Thales UK will be responsible for building, managing and developing the network. Building work began recently and, with a phased implementation programme, will be completed in around three years and cover the entire South Yorkshire region.

permalink