At a recent meeting of the Norwich Chamber Council, Karen O’Kane the Programme Director for Better Broadband for Norfolk and John Cullum, the Senior Deployment Manager for BT Openreach provided a progress report on upgrading broadband in Norfolk and highlighted the benefits to business.
Facts about Next Generation Access (NGA) Infrastructure:
- 600 cabinets and 157 local telephone exchanges in Norfolk
- Starting Point: Installation of fibre spines to connect local Exchange Areas to the nearest Head Exchange.
- Average length of a fibre spine in the UK is 3km to 5km
- Average Norfolk fibre spine length will be 13km
Click here to view short video showing how better broadband will be implemented.
Constraints in supplying the NGA infrastructure:
- Capacity and conditions of the existing infrastructure i.e. the ducts through which the fibre will be laid
- Availability of power in rural areas
- Timescales surrounding planning applications
- Necessary road closures – which will be more prevalent in rural locations than urban ones
The locations for the first phase of improvements have been recently announced and it is expected that every couple of months updates on further locations will be advised. You can find out the status of the nearest exchange by clicking here and entering your postcode.
Benefits to Business:
Better broadband will provide new opportunities for businesses in Norfolk allowing them to innovate and expand into different markets. It also has the potential to increase efficiency and drive down costs by offering access to:
- Cloud computing – business data and software applications that are hosted remotely. Many cloud based business applications are now available ranging from basic office software to more sophisticated business software such as customer relationship management systems
- Voice over internet (VoIP) communication systems which enable basic call routing and voicemail through to video conferencing.
- Web conferencing enables businesses to meet in real time and share desktops
- Data transfer – upload latest content quickly and effectively to keep ecommerce and other websites up to date. Send and receive large files (e.g. complex plans and drawings, videos etc).
- Remote data storage – backup business data automatically and regularly to a remote and secure location.
- Flexible working – work from the office, from the home or on the move in a way and at a time that meets your business, and employee, needs.
