Cornwalls broadband story

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Cornwalls broadband story

• Nigel Ashcroft
• Project Director
• actnow

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actnow

• Objective One EU funds used to help
• Bring broadband to Cornwall
• Businesses realise the benefits
• Groundbreaking partnership established 2001

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3 year business plan

• 12.5m public private partnership
• Risk for partners and funders
• Technology decision ADSL - most
• viable solution for initial roll out
• Marketing seen as key from
• the start
• Post activation support crucial

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Marketing

• Cornwalls largest business sector campaign

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SME take up

• Original target 3300
• 2004 actnow C 3750
• 2005 revised target 6927
• Today 9000 !!

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Economic indicators

• 3850 jobs created safeguarded
• 90M GDP impact
• 375M sales impact

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Blue Fish Business Promotions

• Geographical location hindered us technology
  overcame that!
• It has been an amazing year. We are continuing
  to evolve our online marketing. Our target for
  this year is to continue the growth, with plans
  to more than double turnover again .
• Growth so far
• Y1 - 280
• Y2 - 120
• Y3 - 80

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Overall take up

• 110,000 connections countywide
• ADSL penetration levels
• Cornwall 40
• SW average 35
• National average 31

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Pressing ahead

• New aims
• 33 of businesses in all exchange areas
• 50 of all businesses using broadband
• Targeting laggards and sectors

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Not-spots

• About 1 adsl failures
• Line length and / or quality
• Incompatible technologies (DACS concentrators)
• Subsidised options include
• Satellite (2-way or 1-way)
• Wireless hop from nearby source
• 3G
• Pros cons adsl preferred

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Value added activity - hotspots

• Sponsorship of wireless broadband infrastructure
• In strategic locations to ensure accessible to
  business travellers
• Never more than 10 mins from BB

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Value added activity

• Citizens Inclusiveness
• Everybody Online, Newlyn
• Helston Computer Club
• Environmental initiatives
• Launched computer recycling service
• Groundbreaking research
• Environmental Challenge set for businesses
• Accommodation providers
• 150 now offering BB for guests

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New projects

• Rural productivity
• actnow flex
• Understanding and delivering the benefits of
  flexible working to SMEs
• actnow reach
• Rural businesses laggards
• Rural computer clubs
• Voluntary sector
• Grass roots cooperation
• actnow Advantage
• Next generation wireless broadband
• Launch pads for Convergence 2007-2013

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Where next?

• Much achieved but the jobs not done
• Infrastructure urban / rural digital divide
• 50 of SMEs will not have broadband
• So much value still to be extracted
• Wider digital exclusion issues
• Exemplar ICT projects flex, telecare, eGovt,
  eTourism

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Cornwalls ICT strategy

• Areas include
• Infrastructure the job is not done
• Exploitation 100 of businesses exploiting the
  benefits of broadband
• Every man woman child connected
• UKs flex working capital
• Communities citizens / business / public sector
• Exemplar projects eGovt, eMkt, flex, telecare,
  eTown, eLearning, eVisitor

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Thank younigel.ashcroft_at_acnowcornwall.co.uk