The Broadland District Council (BDC) in Norfolk has officially put its support behind the WiSpire project, which deploys faster rural broadband internet access by installing wireless ( Wi-Fi ) transmitters on top of local church spires.Apparently the council is keen to use WiSpire's solution to help fix poor broadband coverage in some of the regions other "Not Spot" locations, especially the last 10% of people that aren't likely to be helped by the government's Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) office.
The Council's Head of Economic Development, Chris Hill, said (Evening News 24):
"We all know that the lack of fast, reliable wireless access is holding back many small companies based in rural areas.
Having seen the Postwick project in action we are actively looking at whether the council can help establish WiSpire antenna on other churches within our footprint. It would provide a massive boost to the rural economy and allow businesses operating from villages and market towns the ability to compete with their urban rivals.
We are trying to identify the best churches in Broadland capable of serving a number of communities, covering thousands of residents and commercial operations, and finally providing a mechanism to plug those signal gaps."
"We all know that the lack of fast, reliable wireless access is holding back many small companies based in rural areas.
Having seen the Postwick project in action we are actively looking at whether the council can help establish WiSpire antenna on other churches within our footprint. It would provide a massive boost to the rural economy and allow businesses operating from villages and market towns the ability to compete with their urban rivals.
We are trying to identify the best churches in Broadland capable of serving a number of communities, covering thousands of residents and commercial operations, and finally providing a mechanism to plug those signal gaps."
The project, which continues to be a joint venture in Norfolk between the Diocese of Norwich and UK ISP FreeClix, could also help WiSpire's tentative plans for some degree of national deployment (revealed here). Either way the news bodes well for the future.
Residents in related communities typically benefit from internet download speeds of up to 6Mbps (1Mbps upload), "unlimited" usage (Fair Usage Policy applies) and a 1 month rolling contract at £24.99 per month. It's by no means ideal but those with sub-2Mbps connections tend to welcome the extra speed.
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