Summary Of Digital Region
Digital Region Ltd., (DRL) will deliver a groundbreaking transformational programme for South Yorkshire that will provide super-fast broadband including products of up to 25Mb/sec high-speed service using state of the art technology across South Yorkshire.
The project has the potential to become the largest open-access broadband infrastructure platform in the world and will enable a multitude of advanced applications at home, in business and across the public sector, transforming communications, entertainment and business activities across the region.
DRL is wholly owned by Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of South Yorkshire. Following a full European Union procurement exercise, Thales UK has been appointed to deliver and manage the fibre-optic cable infrastructure on behalf of DRL. Thales UK leads a consortium that includes Alcatel-Lucent and KCOM.
The DRL Network is offering 25mb+ of bandwidth which is both guaranteed and can be delivered with a range definable Quality of Service attributes. In simple terms, this means the end user gets ‘what they pay for’; if the end user requires 10mb they receive a guaranteed 10mb; if they want 5mb or 25mb this is guaranteed. Some services require more than just high-speed connections: this is true of live entertainment such as sports, and critical services such as aspects of tele-medicine. The DRL Network can configure specific connections with Quality of Service attributes that allow these services to be delivered in a seamless way to the end consumer - so no stop-starting or picture-jitter for example when watching a live football match.
Importantly, the DRL network allows for more than one service provider to connect to the consumer and deliver services. This means that the consumer has a wider choice of services and organisations and service providers can offer companies access to their customers directly via virtual networks made available over the DRL network.
The high-speed broadband capability will transform electronic communications across South Yorkshire and have a significant impact on economic development, potential inward investment and capacity building across South Yorkshire. The network will be integral to improving communications in the private and public sector, bringing increased innovation, opportunities and greater social and economic inclusion.
Thales UK will begin building the infrastructure in June 2009 with the first homes being able to take up the service by 2010, with the vast majority of the network being completed within three years.
Initial connections will be across the 4 boroughs of South Yorkshire. During Autumn 2009, we will be developing a facility which allows you to enter your postcode to find out when this new super-fast network will be available in your area.
