The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
Welcome to the European Broadband Portal Newsletter. We hope that you enjoy reading the various articles listed below. All European Broadband Portal newsletters are available for download here. If you want to receive the EBP Newsletter, just SIGN UP to the European Broadband Portal and you will automatically receive the Newsletter and weekly updates of the portal. Otherwise, send an email to info@erisa.be.
This month on the European Broadband Portal : Features ISPs still 'mislead' on broadband Broadband speeds in the UK now average 6.8Mbps (megabits per second) but there is still a huge gap between advertised and actual speeds, according to Ofcom. Almost half of broadband users are now on packages with advertised speeds above 10Mbps but few achieve this. Ofcom's biannual report into the state of the broadband market urged changes to advertising. Virgin Media accused rivals of misleading the public. Read more‌
IET says 4G mobile broadband plans need new approach Capacity, coverage and regulation all pose a threat to the growth of next-generation services, according to the IET. The government is being urged to change its plans relating to the allocation of spectrum for next-generation mobile broadband services. According to the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), the Conservative-led coalition must take "radical Page 1 of 9
The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
steps" to ensure the growth of the technology is not held back by red tape. In order to get the maximum benefit from the new spectrum, a national strategy for the UK's mobile infrastructure must be drawn up, thereby supporting competitiveness, innovation and investment, the organisation argued. Read more… BBC to Map Mobile Broadband Coverage THE BBC has announced an ambitious plan to map the UK's mobile phone coverage. Ofcom estimates that 91% of the UK has 2G coverage and 76% has 3G coverage but its own maps on coverage are basic at best. Providers have their own maps but they're frequently fiddly and, of course, it's tricky, if not downright impossible, to compare based on the most important factor for consumers choosing between companies. Read more…
Ofcom cuts rural broadband prices Rural broadband bills could fall after telecoms regulator Ofcom moved to cut the wholesale price that BT charges other internet providers. The company is the only operator in many smaller telephone exchanges and ISPs have to factor 'renting' BT's equipment into their price plans. That means customers often miss out on cheaper deals available in towns and cities. The reduction only affects broadband services of up to 8Mbps. Read more…
EU warned on broadband targets The European Union’s ambitious targets to improve broadband speeds will be missed unless governments and regulators enable telecoms operators to cut their costs and tap new revenue sources, leading chief executives warned on Wednesday. The heads of Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom and Vivendi Page 2 of 9
The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
called on European authorities to help cut the cost of building high speed fixed-line broadband networks, and insisted regulators should not stop telecoms operators trying to take the controversial step of charging online content providers for delivering their material to consumers. Read more…
Super-fast broadband plan for Lancashire A NEW £30million bid to bring super-fast broadband to Lancashire has been announced. Lancashire County Council intends to create a countywide super-fast broadband network by 2014 to help economic recovery and growth. The Government has allocated 530m nationwide for broadband and has asked areas to bid for a share. Lancashire has applied for £13m from this Government pot while a further bid for £16.5m has been put in to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Read more…
Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom and Vivendi CEOs Ask for EUwide Broadband Help In a recent interview with the Financial Times, the CEOs of Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom and Vivendi discussed the publication of a report, to which they were prominent signatories, urging European authorities to help cut the estimated €290bn (US$410bn) cost of building high-speed, fixed-line broadband networks across the EU. Unfortunately, the interview and the report highlight how difficult and contentious finding a funding path that is amenable not just to operators of physical networks but also over-the-top (OTT) providers has become. In fact, despite participating for three months in the working groups that contributed to the final report, notable non-signatories were Google and Facebook. Read more…
NI Broadband Infrastructure Boosted The 'Next Generation Broadband Project' has completed on time and on budget, Stormont Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has announced.
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The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
Over £52m has been invested in the telecommunications infrastructure as part of the project, which involved the introduction of new technology to increase broadband speeds, primarily for businesses users, across Northern Ireland. The Minister said: "The initial construction phase of this project to develop Northern Ireland's telecommunications infrastructure completed on time and on budget and Next Generation Broadband Services are available." Read more…
EBP at INCA Workshop in London The INCA Workshop on Next Generation Access was held on the 19th of July in London. From EBP side Charles Watt, Kees Rovers, Crister Mattsen, Roger Williams and Sheila Robertson attended the workshop and contributed to its success. The three main topics were: 1) Understanding the UK ‘State of Play’ and providing inputs to BDUK and other policy-makers from INCA’s perspective 2) Benefiting from the experience of European and UK ‘Bottom Up’ initiatives and seeking to understand the issues and challenges facing them 3) Assessing the requirement for support and development activities for INCA members and potential members Read more…
Launch of EBP Blueprint Workshops During the Digital Agenda Assembly there was a clear call for a shift in emphasis from discussion and design into implementation of Digital Agenda policies. In line with this call Erisa is now in the planning stage for multiple local events to support implementation strategies for next generation broadband implementations. These events in the form of EBP blueprint workshops, focus on supporting the development of the next phase of work with particular emphasis on setting up the programme for success. The workshops are customised following a brief one day assessment to fit with local needs with an optional focus. Read more...
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The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
Call for participation eris@ at the Open Days 2011- Online registration is now open ERISA has secured a space at the upcoming prestigious Meeting Place at OPEN DAYS 2011 event. This is one of the major events of the year and ERISA participation is a clear indication of the importance of the role of ICT in the future of Europe. ERISA and its partners are organizing workshop on “European Broadband Futures, Preparing for the Age of Communication” (WORKSHOP CODE: 12A37) which will present a scale of change currently underway in which IT and specifically Internet based technologies are changing our lives. The workshop will illustrate three very different examples of Internet development that are driven by Public Private Partnerships: PITAGORA – European Broadband Portal– FI-PP INFINITY Please follow the link below and register as soon as possible as the number of places is limited. Read more…
EU NEEDS YOUR VOICE – 3 weeks left to speak! You and your Region have the opportunity to influence the Community Guidelines for the application of State aid rules in relation to rapid deployment of broadband networks! Do you believe the rules should be changed to provide the State Aid and Public Sector financial support needed and guarantee the superspeed infrastructure required across Europe over the next 9 years ? Read more…
Broadband Europe Blog A blog was launched as part of the broadband discussion taking place on the European Broadband Portal. The blog encourages debates, allocates news and animates the rollout of broadband across the EU. Contribute, follow and engage: http://broadbandeurope.wordpress.com Read more…
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The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
Intelligent Community Awards - new community self-test When the Eindhoven Region of the Netherlands was named Intelligent Community of the Year on June 3 in New York City, the celebration was something to see. Since 1999, the Intelligent Community Forum has been honoring communities for achievement in building prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economies on a foundation of information and communications technology. ICF invites communities large and small, in industrial and emerging nations anywhere in the world, to nominate themselves for this unique annual award program. There is no fee for nomination. To enter, complete a 6-question nomination form available on the ICF Web site. If you are not sure whether or not your community qualifies for consideration by ICF, you can now take a new Online Self-Test. Answer 15 yes-or-no questions, and the Self-Test will help you understand how likely your community is to be honored as one of the world's Intelligent Communities. It all begins with the Smart21 Communities announcement on October 21 - in Eindhoven, where the celebration continues. Read more‌
More News Click here for all the latest news stories that appear on the European Broadband portal. You can help us make this website more interesting and updated about news related to broadband! Send us valuable information: info@broadband-europe.eu
Events EBP Blueprint Workshop First eris@ EBP Blueprint workshop will be organized on 21st September in Turin (Piedmont Region). The event aims at helping Piedmont Region with its implementation of the broadband strategy and development of internet access in remote areas. The targeted audience is people involved in policy and practice of ICT, particularly those involved in the future of the internet, such as public sector policy makers and innovators in sectors like health, education, government, industry and e-business. Also encouraged to Page 6 of 9
The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
participate are Infrastructure owners, service providers and ISPs (Internet Service Providers), Telecoms and IT industry representatives. Other Italian regions are welcome to join the workshop (Italian will be the working language). For more information, please contact: info@erisa.be Read more...
Internet and societies – New innovation paths The main objective of this event will be to give an insight in possible and probable interactions between Internet and societal developments in the next decades, from which recommendations on innovative research areas and applications to explore can be derived. It aims to offer the participants a platform to access and exchange valuable information, to meet and interact with leading stakeholders from Europe and the rest of the world. The event takes place from 7-9 September in Brussels. Read more...
Future Internet Week in Poznan The “Future Internet Week” takes place from 24-28 October in Poznan, Poland and will offer a series of events: conferences, meetings and workshops concerning different aspects of the Future Internet, which will create an unprecedented synergy between many professionals from all over Europe. Read more…
Future Internet Symposium 2011 in Vienna The 4th Future Internet Symposium will take place in Vienna, Austria from 8-9 of November, 2011. The FIS2011 will be an intermediate event and should bridge the future alignment of the FIS with European Future Internet Assembly. In future, the FIS should become the premier scientific event at the FIA for the presentation of project‐independent, scientific contributions to the area of the Future Internet and future networks. Read more…
Click here for more events.
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The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
About us The European Broadband Portal (EBP) is now in its second phase. (EBPII) The development of the EBP was initiated by the European Commission (DG Information Society & Media) following an open Call for Tender for the supply of a "Web Portal for Exchange of Good Practice for Broadband Deployment". The project commenced in January 2008 and lasted for a period of 30 months. Following a review and approval this second phase commenced in January 2011 and runs until December 2012. The EBPII project seeks to animate a coherent on-line community of relevant stakeholders, providing them with the tools for effective sharing of experiences and good practices and a participatory environment for seeking common and shared solutions. Part of the EBPII team of experts form Chris Parker, Tom Moortgat, Christer Mattsen, Gareth Locksley, George Hall, Kees Rovers, Rod Mitchell and Sheila Robinson. The team is available to visit regions for interventional action and support of their plans for broadband rollout.
THE PROJECT TEAM
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Main Contractor The European Regional Information Society Association
PROJECT LEADER. COORDINATION, ANIMATOR, CONTENTS PROVIDER
Subcontractor Avento
WEB DEVELOPMENT
The EBP is financed by the European Commission / DG Information Society & Media
GEORGE HALL
Subcontractor George Hall Ltd
ADVISOR, COORDINATOR ENHANCING PARTICIPATION
For more information: The European Regional Information Society Association 24, Boulevard de l'Empereur, B-1000 Brussels tel.: + 32 2 230 03 25 fax: + 32 2 230 92 01 Click here to Unsubscribe from the European Broadband Portal newsletter The “Broadband Flash” is published each month. You are very much invited to contribute; give us your feedback or subscribe to the Newsletter: info@erisa.be
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