THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
BUILDING DESIGN &
CONSTRUCTION ISSUE 206
THE NEED FOR ED VAIZEY, MINISTER FOR CULTURE AND THE DIGITAL ECONOMY , TALKS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S ROLLOUT OF SUPERFAST BROADBAND
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The need for WE TALK TO ED VAIZEY, MINISTER FOR CULTURE AND THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S ROLLOUT OF SUPERFAST BROADBAND WHICH HAS NOW PASSED MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION PREMISES AND IS REACHING 40,000 ADDITIONAL HOMES AND BUSINESSES EVERY WEEK.
he Government recognises that the growing demands of the digital age will have a significant impact on the UK’s competitiveness in the international market. By investing in telecommunications and digital infrastructure, the Government is making the nation a more efficient and attractive place to live, do business, visit and invest in. Within the building sector, broadband availability is boosting property values and developers are increasingly recognising this. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), alongside the Department for Communities and Local Government, has been working with house builders to develop an action plan to ensure that newly built residential properties have access to broadband. The two organisations are also looking to introduce a broadband connectivity rating for new and existing buildings to help consumers make better informed decisions when buying or renting. Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, said: “I’m very proud that we are a nation of early adopters of new technology – on broadband alone we have the highest take up rate per capita of the top five European economies. And I’m determined to ensure that Government is doing everything it can to make sure the necessary infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of businesses and individuals throughout the UK.”
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Speed. Service. Reliability. Venus provides high speed, high capacity fibre optic internet services at a range of bandwidths from 30Mbps to 10Gbps. Venus is one of the few providers to have an independent dark fibre network giving us complete control over end to end quality of services. Our offices are based in the centre of London and can provide fast and reliable support to all our customers. We connect 18 points of presence and most major data centres offering customers additional services such as offsite data back up and data centre colocation. The Venus network passes hundreds of thousands of postcode locations across London where we can offer connections at highly com-
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Communications According to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, fast internet connectivity is as fundamental to businesses as water and electricity. It enables them to enjoy the benefits of IT applications increasingly available as cloudbased services and Venus Communications provides the means to do that. The company’s core product is super fast fibre optic internet through a network covering London’s key business districts. It provides business customers with high speed internet connectivity backed by a first class and straightforward service, as Director Brian Iddon confirms: “There’s no limit on speed or data usage and connections are symmetrical up to ten gigabits per second. We provide services at competitive rates with support engineers, technical and provisioning staff within reach of customers and network points of presence. Our high level of service goes hand in hand with the network coverage and capability.” Clients range from small businesses moving
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IT to the cloud through to financial operations requiring ultra fast, low latency connections and broadcast companies transferring high definition video files. All benefit from speed, service, reliability, competitive cost and other gains once the connection is made. “Our network passes through all major London data centres so our customers can host backup servers, disaster recovery and offsite data backup. A VoIP telephone system becomes a reality and many customers are moving their ISDN connection, taking costs out of their business while keeping their numbers.” Many new clients take advantage of the Super Connected Cities scheme, which provides installation and connection at effectively no cost. Venus has connected hundreds of businesses through it and all now reap the benefits. Brian says: The scheme has visibility and we’re getting more enquiries. Many businesses have the false impression fibre is not available but it’s readily available throughout central London.”
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“FOR EVERY POUND THE GOVERNMENT IS SPENDING ON BROADBAND, THE UK ECONOMY WILL BENEFIT BY £20, AND THE PROGRAMME WILL CREATE OVER 20,000 JOBS BY 2024.” The Government is making a £1bn investment in the country’s broadband and mobile infrastructure that will secure Britain’s economic future and help us compete in the global race. The UK has already made fantastic progress, for example, being ahead of the top five European economies for broadband coverage, speed, choice and price, and this investment will position the country for future success in local and international markets. THREE PROJECTS The investment programme comprises three projects. Firstly, £780m has been sanctioned to provide universal standard broadband (2Mbps or more) and superfast broadband (24Mbps or more) to 95% of the UK. £150m will create a series of 22 ‘super-connected’ cities across the UK and city wide high-speed public wireless connectivity, while a further £150m will improve the quality and coverage of mobile voice and basic data network services. “For every pound the Government is spending on broadband, the UK economy will benefit by £20, and the programme will create over 20,000 jobs by 2024,” says Vaizey. “Socially, we want more people to enjoy the same opportunities as those who already get superfast broadband. The ability to work from home, run a small business and gain access to entertainment, government and education resources are a few examples of
how this programme is transforming lives up and down the country. “The voucher scheme has particular benefits for businesses – including the building and construction industry – allowing SMEs in 22 cities to apply for a Broadband Connection Voucher up to £3,000 towards the cost of connecting their premises to high speed or high grade broadband. This is a great incentive for those businesses that want to upgrade their broadband and take advantage of its benefits. “We want SMEs to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that faster and more reliable broadband can have for their businesses. The benefits of better connectivity can include improved reliability of connection, better communication with customers and staff, reduced costs through better networking, improved data storage and accessibility, and high-speed upload and download for large files.” The Super Connected Cities programme is one of the most interesting concepts to come out of the Government’s investment plan. Essentially, CONTINUED ON PAGE 1034
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the “super connected city” is a way to develop the digital infrastructure of UK cities with the aims to provide them the digital capability needed to drive growth, attract new business and transform the way services are provided and accessed. An essential part of this programme is the Broadband Connection Voucher scheme that provides grants of up to £3,000 for small and medium sized businesses to get a superfast broadband connection. An investment in business is necessary to help the UK remain internationally competitive by helping companies increase security, profits and activity in new markets. Superfast broadband is essential for business owners and contractors that want to increase profits and boost their bottom line. By investing in a
better connection, businesses within the building and construction sector can benefit from improved customer service delivery by processing requests quickly and reliably while having better access to new markets and clients. It will also facilitate improved collaboration whilst working across sites and locations through cloud-based software while saving time and resources through teleconferencing and remote working. It will also increase security with fast, secure back-up of data. “We are proud of our construction and building industry, and believe its potential can only be sharpened through this investment. In this everdeveloping digital landscape, UK businesses need to be a step ahead to compete within a saturated market.” As part of this programme, the investment will also improve city-wide connectivity by delivering free wi-fi in over 1,000 public spaces and buildings such as libraries, museums, galleries, civic centres and sporting complexes. Cities were invited to bid to become a part of the Super Connected Cities programme. Selection was based upon each city’s proposal for the investment as well as how far they qualified against a set criteria. “The nationwide rollout is on track to provide 95% superfast broadband coverage to businesses and homes across the UK by 2017. But we’re not stopping there. We want to reach as many homes and businesses as possible and we’re already looking at ways to reach the “final 5%” of UK homes and businesses not covered by the existing plans,” says Vaizey. Indeed, focus has turned recently on the “final 5%” – those areas in the most remote and hardest to reach places in the UK that are not covered by existing plans. £10m has been committed to a
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series of pilot projects currently under way in eight locations across the nation to investigate the best way of tackling these areas. The findings will be used to inform future funding bids to ensure everyone benefits from the transformation of the digital landscape currently underway. “The Super Connected Cities programme was originally due to end in March 2015, but I was delighted that the Chancellor announced in the Autumn Statement in December 2014 that he is extending the Broadband Connection Voucher scheme to March 2016, and will be opening the scheme up to businesses in other cities around the UK,” adds Vaizey. Encouragingly, the project is on schedule. “In fact, many of the projects are actually ahead of schedule,” says Vaizey. “We’ve already taken access to superfast broadband to more than 1.5 million UK premises that would otherwise have been left behind. Every week we’re reaching 40,000 more and are rapidly approaching the two million homes and businesses mark. I’m very proud of what has been achieved so far – it really is a brilliant example of Government, local authorities and the private sector (in this case BT) all working together to ensure we reach as many people as possible, in the shortest amount of time. “We’ve issued more than 5,000 vouchers to date, and are now issuing around 1,000 more every month. By March next year, I’m confident that around 10,000 SMEs will have taken us up on the offer and will be reaping all the rewards that a faster and more reliable connection offers.” Vaizey says he is proud of what BT has achieved in delivering the programme of work
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THE UK’S MOST ADVANCED INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER lthough its primary product is wide area networking Internet services, Metronet (UK)’s approach sets it apart, using microwave and radio technology for flexibility in speed of delivery and bespoke deployment. It also, as Head of Digital Development Kate Rennicks emphasises, provides a proactive supported service: “We monitor everything 24/7 and let customers know if there’s an issue before they are even aware of it” Customers range from start-ups to blue chip organisations in various cities, which are viewed as super-connected campuses. Metronet (UK) provides anything from simple connection to various added value services. It has connected nearly 1,000 SMEs through the
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SuperConnected Cities scheme across the UK. Many clients are landlords or managing agents where Internet provision is part of the rent agreement and gain significant benefits through the voucher scheme. “Any company moving into a Metronet-enabled building (MEB) can have internet connectivity within minutes, so landlords let space faster” explains Kate. “Those needing an infrastructure refresh can group tenants’ vouchers. We can apply for funding for all offices and claim the money as tenants move in. It works well for landlords because they can market their entire building as super connected.” www.metronet-uk.com Telephone: 0161 822 2581
CIVILS, UTILITIES AND TRANSPORT: DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT with many projects arriving ahead of schedule. “I take a lot of brickbats for giving the contracts to BT but I have to say, I think the outcome has been pretty good.” While the public-funded rollout of fibre broadband came in for some initial criticism, with concerns raised over delayed starts, costs and BT’s status as the sole private-sector infrastructure partner, Vaizey backs the decision to use BT exclusively. “We deliberately had a series of 44 contracts for two reasons. One was because we wanted local councils to be partners. They are more effective partners because they’re also the local planning authority. “The second was that, if you’re a relatively small broadband company, in theory bidding for a county broadband contract should be easier than bidding for England’s. “At the same time, people really have to remember that BT has a national network and that, under state aid guidelines, if you’re using public money to build a network you have to accept that others have access to it. The big national players either fell down because they didn’t have the capacity to take on these contracts, or didn’t want to share their networks. “I did not come to this saying: ‘Let’s give it all to BT.’ I would have welcomed the competition, and I do still think the consortium led by Fujitsu in the early days did help keep BT’s feet to the fire.” RURAL AREAS In addition to broadband delivery, the Government is also addressing poor mobile coverage in rural areas. “It can’t be right that a fifth of the UK can’t use their mobiles to make a call or send texts. That’s why we’re investing £150m to tackle poor mobile coverage across the country and working with mobile network operators to address the issues. “We’ve also recently consulted on how to tackle partial ‘not spots’ – where not all mobile network
“AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE REALLY HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT BT HAS A NATIONAL NETWORK AND THAT, UNDER STATE AID GUIDELINES, IF YOU’RE USING PUBLIC MONEY TO BUILD A NETWORK YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT OTHERS HAVE ACCESS TO IT.” operators provide a signal – to see how best this issue can be resolved.” The consultation set out various legislative options for taking full coverage to areas with partial coverage including national roaming (phones would roam onto another network’s signal when theirs was not available. This is similar to what happens when you’re abroad), infrastructure sharing (mobile networks would be able to put transmitters on each other’s masts), and reforming virtual networks (companies such as Tesco and Virgin currently agree access to a single network and then sell mobile packages to consumers. “We could ensure these virtual networks were able to offer mobiles that accessed all four networks,” explains Vaizey. He adds, the DCMS would also “oblige the networks to cover a certain percentage of the UK but leaving it open for them to decide how best to achieve this outcome. We will be considering the consultation responses to see how best this issue can be resolved.” www.culture.gov.uk Tel: 020 7211 6000
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Get SuperConnected with high speed wireless UK businesses can now get financial support from the government to install broadband connectivity. With the SuperConnected Cities program, whereby the government is committing funding to support the installation of superfast broadband for SMEs in 22 cities around the UK, eligible businesses can claim a £3,000 connection voucher towards their high speed connectivity (more information about this scheme can be found at www.connectionvouchers.co.uk). It is not always easy to deploy broadband, however, particularly in city centres and public buildings, and this is where wireless technology has a key role to play. In contrast to the lengthy and expensive outlay of fixed infrastructure such as fibre connectivity, wireless equipment can be deployed easily, quickly and cheaply, with minimal disruption and unobtrusive physical infrastructure. Sub10 Systems, a UK developer and manufacturer of wireless equipment, specialises in high frequency millimetre wave technology, bringing a number of unique and compelling characteristics that make the Liberator family of radios ideal for providing broadband connectivity. These include: • Small, discrete, lightweight antennas that can be easily and rapidly installed using existing infrastructure such as streetlights, poles and buildings, enabling businesses to be brought online with minimal delay
• High capacity with up to 1 Gbit/s broadband capacity, using frequency division duplexing technology which means that the full capacity is available for both upstream and downstream traffic, ideal for today’s businesses that need to transmit as much data as they receive. Additionally, for maximum business and pricing flexibility, the wireless link can be deployed at 500 Mbit/s capacity with an upgrade to the full 1 Gbit/s achieved through a simple software key • Minimal operational overhead, with spectrum licences in the millimetre wave bands (60 and 80 GHz) being either licence exempt or lightly licensed: this minimises costs and gives Internet Service Providers a rapid return on investment Sub10 Systems (www.sub10systems.com) and its partner CDN Distribution (www.cdnnetworks.com) supply equipment to ISPs throughout the UK, as well as providing equipment directly for applications such as building to building connectivity and video surveillance backhaul for government and private enterprises. Sub10 and CDN have combined forces to offer a special discounted price on the Liberator wireless links for the duration of the UK voucher scheme, which makes the business case even more attractive for ISPs and their customers. UK technology, UK delivered, rapidly empowering the SuperConnected UK: what could be better?