Remote North Yorkshire UK Village of Robin Hoods Bay Gets Faster Broadband

Residents living in the small North Yorkshire (England) fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay can now access broadband internet download speeds of around 10-12Mbps (Megabits per second). This is thanks to the launch of a community wifi network (The Bay Broadband Co-operative) that has been upgraded with help from NYnet and Defra’s Rural Development Programme (RDPE).

The co-operative project, which survives on its income and “is currently making a sustainable profit“, charges £8 a month for locals to access the service (between £3 a day to £10 a week for visitors / guests) and is fed by a fibre optic connection in nearby Whitby. The signal is then broadcast out (over a 7 mile radius) and reinforced through about 30 strategically placed repeaters in the village and surrounding area.

Jim Foster, Publicity Officer for Bay Broadband Cooperative, said:

“We were the first to bring broadband to the bay in 2004 when we created the social enterprise and this has worked well for us for some time. Since then the technology has advanced so much and the importance of broadband to local businesses, residents, the tourist industry and visitors further increased, we needed to bring our network bang up to date.

Following discussions with NYnet and RDPE we were able to use funding to gain access to high speed fibre via the NYnet connection at the Whitby Environment Centre. This has made a huge difference to subscribers who are now able to access speed in the region of 10-12Mbps with the option to increase as the requirement grows.”

Julie Burton, Community Officer for NYnet, said:

“We have been working closely with Bay Broadband Cooperative since we began looking at community projects in 2008 and have worked through every option to provide a connection from our core network into Bay’s gateway. Finally we were able to find a good solution by working with the NYCC Environmental Centre at the Whitby Business Park. It’s thanks to their approval and cooperation that we were able to provide the vital link. I am absolutely delighted that we could help the community continue with their hard work to make the Bay a great place to work and live.”

Today the upgraded network supplies over 140 subscribers and has also connected up local holiday cottages, bed and breakfasts and three hotels (the Flask Inn, the Grosvenor and the Bay Hotel).