Digital Region Project may seek commercial operator to rescue it

[ShefStealth 10]

I know that there's quite a few people on here (myself included) who are customers of Origin or one of the other Digital Region suppliers, so I thought that you all might be interested in seeing this:

 

http://www.itproportal.com/2013/12/23/geo-networks-talks-acquire-digital-region-assets/

[Paddy 10]

That's good news if the sale goes through then the network won't go to waste. I'm still holding out hope that BT buy the network so I can finally get some fibre optic action!

[ShefStealth 10]

I'm hoping that BT don't buy the network because they're already getting a lot of UK broadband infrastructure for a song under the BDUK system! They''ve got too much of a monopoly as it is. I'd prefer some other Content Delivery Network (CDN) to pick it up for their own backhaul such as Akamai for instance, perhaps getting some of their servers into Origin's datacenter and allowing more resillient peering with all the broadband providers. I'd also hope that they would be able to keep the network 'as is' with possible expansion and actually manage it well. If worst came to it, for me at least, Origin seem to now be provisioning on BT Wholesale fibre cabinets too so they could shift me over, however I don't really want to be QoS'd via the BT wholesale backhaul/network if it came to that.

[walkerx 10]

I'm hoping that BT don't buy the network because they're already getting a lot of UK broadband infrastructure for a song under the BDUK system! They''ve got too much of a monopoly as it is. I'd prefer some other Content Delivery Network (CDN) to pick it up for their own backhaul such as Akamai for instance, perhaps getting some of their servers into Origin's datacenter and allowing more resillient peering with all the broadband providers. I'd also hope that they would be able to keep the network 'as is' with possible expansion and actually manage it well. If worst came to it, for me at least, Origin seem to now be provisioning on BT Wholesale fibre cabinets too so they could shift me over, however I don't really want to be QoS'd via the BT wholesale backhaul/network if it came to that.

 

BT might have a monoply, but you need someone to look after the network and manage it properly (including dealing with faults within a reasonable time) - it was only because of the constant network disconnections I was having that forced me to leave the network, along with it being cheaper on BT for a faster connection at the time (and still is). If it wasn't for that I would have stayed on the network.

[AlexAtkin 10]

That is assuming that BT DO manage the network properly and deal with faults in a reasonable time.

 

The biggest problem with Digital Region faults was that BT refused to liase with Thales properly so both sides were constantly passing the blame to the other. I know this first-hand as when BT mucked up my Digital Region install by getting a trainee to do the cabinet rewire and not testing at from my house afterwards, I sat with the DR engineer at the cabinet waiting for BT to turn up to fix it. I even had the MD of Origin sat at my cabinet waiting for BT to turn up (they were a much smaller company back then). It was only once it got raised as a voice fault that BT did a thing about it and it ended up being ME who told the BT engineer what was going on. I don't think rewarding BT for that behaviour by making their monopoly bigger is the right course of action.

 

A big CDN would know how to manage the network better than anyone and have the resources to do so. Although I'm not sure how many CDN actually have FTTC as part of their infrastructure. Still, its not impossible.

 

One problem though is that some of the Digital Region network is actually leased from Virgin, would they want to continue doing that?

Edited December 24, 2013 by AlexAtkin

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

According to a report in 'The Times', Geo Networks may be taking-over the SY Digital Region project.

[karl101 10]

According to a report in 'The Times', Geo Networks may be taking-over the SY Digital Region project.

 

Very Interesting....

 

Can't read The Times due to the paywall. Found this, not much detail:

 

http://www.itproportal.com/2013/12/23/geo-networks-talks-acquire-digital-region-assets/

 

K.

[AlexAtkin 10]

That's what we were talking above, the link is already above.

[Paddy 10]

Latest update to this ongoing saga.

 

http://recombu.com/digital/news/bt-could-clean-up-south-yorkshires-155-million-fibre-broadband-mess_M12674.html

 

More comments on these sites also.

 

http://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=1069

 

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/01/government-moot-bduk-fibre-broadband-plan-south-yorkshire-uk.html

 

Hopefully some good will come of this and Sheffield City centre and Attercliffe telephone exchanges can finally be upgraded with fibre broadband.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Paddy

[Goooooogle 10]

Latest update to this ongoing saga.

 

http://recombu.com/digital/news/bt-could-clean-up-south-yorkshires-155-million-fibre-broadband-mess_M12674.html

 

More comments on these sites also.

 

http://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=1069

 

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/01/government-moot-bduk-fibre-broadband-plan-south-yorkshire-uk.html

 

Hopefully some good will come of this and Sheffield City centre and Attercliffe telephone exchanges can finally be upgraded with fibre broadband.

 

More updates - it seems the local councils are being given £ 10 million from central government to sort the mess out.

 

And what are they spending it on ? Another review with a 3 year plan...

 

Honestly - you couldn't make it up.

 

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadband/387295/government-pledges-10m-to-save-superfast-broadband-in-south-yorkshire

 

http://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/syprojects/sybroadband/

 

My suggestion would be to spend 10p on a grovelling phone call to BT and let them come and sort it out.

[Mikes10 10]

I didn't know there was a public consultation for South Yorkshire Regional Broadband, and its now closed. This is the nub of the problem, absolutely no publicity that 'Digital Region' exists.

So they have got another £10 million to keep the service afloat, will we see it advertised? or is it just to keep a select few with their snouts in the trough well fed?

[ShefStealth 10]

It could be argued that because it's an election year next year, the current government don't want the hastle of having to sort this out and have to pay back the EU loans. It's easier for them to just throw some more money at it for now in the short term, as the £10Mil will keep the network going until just after the next general election in 2015. After that, if they chose to shut it down then it will be that year's budget that takes the hit in having to repay monies to different creditors, rather than this year's fiscal year which will be a scrutinised a lot more by the electorate.