The Digital Region project, a troubled alternative wholesale network operator that was setup with £100m of public funding to help 97% of homes and businesses in South Yorkshire (UK) gain access to superfast broadband by the middle of 2012, has added a previously unheard of new ISP - LittleBigOne - to their platform.LittleBigOne is apparently the first ISP on their network to supply a package bundle that offers TV ( IPTV ), phone and broadband services to local residents. At the time of writing their website only mentions a broadband package (TV services will follow in December 2011) and will officially launch this weekend.
Jeremy Sheehan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Digital Region, said:
"Digital Region are delighted make this announcement. It is a significant step forward for local users that want to upgrade their broadband provision and subscribe to a ‘triple package’ of TV, phone and broadband.
There is a tremendous interest in us providing next generation broadband services over the Digital Region network and there are a lot of developments in the pipeline. As the project moves forward we will continue to introduce more services that enable home users, businesses and public services to capitalise on the opportunities the network presents."
"Digital Region are delighted make this announcement. It is a significant step forward for local users that want to upgrade their broadband provision and subscribe to a ‘triple package’ of TV, phone and broadband.
There is a tremendous interest in us providing next generation broadband services over the Digital Region network and there are a lot of developments in the pipeline. As the project moves forward we will continue to introduce more services that enable home users, businesses and public services to capitalise on the opportunities the network presents."
Littlebigone.com MD, Teresa Robbins, said:
"We’re very excited about launching this service and giving the people of South Yorkshire the opportunity to upgrade from the often poor internet connections that are experienced in the area. We are passionate about helping people get up to speed.
We are offering a very personal service and will give advice to anyone interested in getting set up online for the first time or improving the service they currently have."
"We’re very excited about launching this service and giving the people of South Yorkshire the opportunity to upgrade from the often poor internet connections that are experienced in the area. We are passionate about helping people get up to speed.
We are offering a very personal service and will give advice to anyone interested in getting set up online for the first time or improving the service they currently have."
An "exciting" launch event for the ISP will apparently take place on Saturday 29th October, at the Frenchgate Shopping Centre (Doncaster) from 10.30am until 5pm. The ISP will join forces with Hallam FM for a "fun day of games, information and opportunities to win prizes" (iPad's etc.).
The Digital Region project has recently been occupying the news for all of the wrong reasons, most of which have centred on fears that it could be sold off to the private sector (here).
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Comments: 8
DeductionPosted: 28 October, 2011 - 11:08 AM
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Be interesting to see what TV stations and services are on offer and the subscription prices.
Personally i think internet TV services are a non-starter unless they can provide as much as say Sky do for less money. Will give it the benefit of the doubt though maybe this is going to be revolutionary and something we can all look forward to once we all have shiny fibre services.
Then again, i dont live with my head in the clouds :D
MarkJPosted: 28 October, 2011 - 11:13 AM
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I don't know how a small start-up ISP that has come out of nowhere and seemingly with no prior history would be able to negotiate the kind of TV/Film content deals that you'd need in order to make such a service attractive. Definitively something to keep an eye on.
dishPosted: 28 October, 2011 - 1:00 PM
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They look to be part of www.isrighthere.com (got that from the T&Cs)
DeductionPosted: 28 October, 2011 - 6:39 PM
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^^^ Oh god it likely be a load of rubbish then. They appear to be one of those companies that does Hospital TV. My experience of that is a nasty thing where you pay a billion quid per minute to view ITV. Or a gold nugget to watch some cheese laden 80s movie.
BobPosted: 29 October, 2011 - 12:22 PM
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This sounds very typical of the government funded schemes. It is heading down a very expensive dead end.
What is needed is a proper alternative infrastructure to BT and not lots of little local schemes involving unknown companies with no track record and without the resources & funding to deliver
DeductionPosted: 29 October, 2011 - 4:16 PM
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I think half the problem is smaller companies with a track record of doing things right are never given a chance by government in schemes like this.
Believe it or not there are small cable company TV firms up and down the UK (Not as many as there used to be i admit) that still provide excellent service to very localised areas.
Instead of the likes of them or smaller ISPs with a good track record getting help or encouragement though, the cash gets chucked into either a unheard of organisation, one thats just interested in money, or one that doesnt even really need money or help in the first place.
Schemes like this will have low take up and more cash will be lobbed at it until it totally fails. The other next big flop is going to be Youview, just wait and see.
New_LondonerPosted: 29 October, 2011 - 4:27 PM
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@MarkJ
Are there any stats on the number of customers on the Digital Region project? It would be interesting to know what its cost from the public purse per customer connected.
BobPosted: 30 October, 2011 - 7:02 PM
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The simple fact is you need the economy of scale to provide a proper service & at a sensible price. In general these schemes do not attract the major ISP's because it is simply to expensive and they do not want the complexity and cost of dealing with dozens of small local schemes which in most cases are priced to high to attract residential consumers
If there was one alternative network to the BT one mosts ISP's would use it
BDUK are going down the same dead end that Cable TV went when the government split the UK up into dozens of small areas. None ever made a profit and slowly they meged into a single network other that a few isolated oddities
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