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B4RN Help Expand 1Gbps FTTH Broadband to Rural Cheshire UK
Bowdon:
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2018/03/b4rn-helping-expand-1gbps-ftth-broadband-rural-cheshire.html
--- Quote ---A small group of volunteers from Puddington, Burton and Capenhurst in West Cheshire (England) have joined forces with the team from B4RN in order to launch B4RN Cheshire, which will further extend the operator’s 1Gbps community built and funded fibre optic (FTTP/H) broadband network.
B4RN’s ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Home (“full fibre“) network is usually constructed with the help of tireless volunteers from local communities across their patch (c.60 parishes), which is often done in exchange for shares instead of cash. After starting small in Lancashire they’re now seeing strong growth and also have networks in rural parts of Cumbria, Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
--- End quote ---
It is always good news when hearing of B4RN's continued progress with installing full fibre.
I can't understand why they are so successful and yet bigger companies can't replicate this kind of stuff even in similar geographical locations i.e. rural areas.
Are we saying the only reason full fibre isn't being spread around that fast is down to council planning permissions?
Why can these small groups (it seems the smaller they are the faster the install) can get the job done, yet the big companies don't seem to either entertain installing full fibre or dismiss the idea outright?
I am guessing it comes down to what I've been bringing up recently. The claim that "we'll install it when the need is there" falls down when those same companies arent actively trying to get feedback. In this case B4RN as obviously gone out and canvassed local people in the area and got the feedback.
c6em:
B4RN relies on unpaid volunteer workers (with time on their hands!) doing lots of various jobs from the actual digging to "sorting out" problem landowners over wayleaves, drumming up support and clients locally and all the rest such as finding secure storage facilities for equipment and supplies.
Commercial operations have to pay the full "going rate" to paid staff and subcontractors and facilities to do all of this and it just makes it uneconomic.
I'm on a Gigaclear commercial installation (not BDUK) and I'd describe this as a half way house. They do all the digging and connection work and the locals did all the sorting out plus finding a position for the village cabinet and dealing with the awkward squad - and there was one malcontent living on every road in the village. The group of us that did the work were all semi-early-retired and I'd say at some point in the process for a short time I reckoned I was in effect working full time for them unpaid.
Pay for all this local knowledge and work at market rates and the whole project would have been a non starter.
j0hn:
When B4RN rock up to a village/parish they engage with local residents with presentations in the local church hall.
They explain their plans and the benefits of their network (full FTTP, and cheap!).
This gets half the town out digging up their own and their neighbours gardens. Local farmers will volunteer their time , equipment and assess to land.
This model just wouldn't work with the big providers. The cost of them deploying full coverage to a sparsely populated village in the middle of nowhere would give their accountants a heart attack.
Their health& safety rules likely wouldn't allow Joe Public within 10 foot of a shovel.
A big point with B4RN is they will cover every property that wants a service. Just because you live down a rural road on your own they will do their absolute best to reach everyone.
Bowdon:
I understand that the current OR and others in their present state aren't suitable to micromanage local projects to the same degree that B4RN does.
But it seems interesting that on the one hand OR struggles to make a case for putting even FTTC in to a rural area, while this small 'band of brothers/sisters' are putting in full fibre.
Ok, the 64 million dollar question, at least for me lol.. can full fibre be used via the telephone poles, or can a fibre line only go to peoples houses underground?
It might be in OR's interest to create a small dedicated team that focuses on rural properties, even if they don't do the actual installing themselves.
burakkucat:
--- Quote from: Bowdon on March 06, 2018, 10:32:27 PM ---.. can full fibre be used via the telephone poles, or can a fibre line only go to peoples houses underground?
--- End quote ---
Openreach can, and do, deliver optical fibres aerially.
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