Thoughts on Big Society attempt at Next Generation Broadband for Hull

[richardmyers]

The other option we all have is to create a vessel (company, cooperative, etc) and all pay towards introducing bandwidth into Hull for our own needs.  That way we control the network, the access to the network and the back haul. 
We can also divide the bandwidth up fairly and police the network (with appropriate punishment for offenders of bandwidth hogging).
It's a very attractive thought and very 'do able' if enough of us got together.

Now this sounds interesting.

[dylan]

Well there's enough technical people here to implement it. I know people within the forum with skills in network engineering (including engineering wireless networks), systems admin, programming etc etc...

New thread perhaps for those interested?

[Hígh Treason]

Might be a good idea, don't know if you could count me in on this idea yet though, though it is a good idea.

[dunny]

Can i answer the phones lol,

Seems like a good idea, i have experiance of admin/accounts so i can do all the sage account information ect.. lol

[Ace247]

I can go round just punching people who become cheeky feckers...

[dylan]

I can go round just punching people who become cheeky feckers...

LMAO

[The Dominator]

The way I see it, there have been several attempts by companies to enter Hull and provide an alternative to KC etc.

Most have hit problems, mostly to do with costs, either associated with Backhaul or the last mile distribution (i.e. the WiMax distribution)

We could, if given the level of participation, do this our selves.  On this forum we have the level of expertise needed (I know that!), we also have the right contacts to gain the back haul.

Internet connectivity is expensive, there was talk only today that maybe in the future we should look upon it in the same light as energy and water, a finite commodity that needs to be looked after (the report was about the fact they have reached the half point of theoretical maximum bandwidth capability of a fibreoptic).

Our ultimate end game should be fibre to the home, now we could wait until KCOM comes along and fibres the whole town, but when's that going to happen?

You could wait for NextGenUs/Fibrestream to answer your emails....  ooooo did you see that elephant fly past?!

You could go with Quickline/AirNet/OnePoint and swamp their already packed network (or so it seems to anyone reading this forum)

Or we could investigate doing it ourselves?

What would we need?

1) A level of interest beyond the 'I want it faster and cheaper' as backhaul & distribution will be expensive:  What it seems is that not one of these organisations (apart from KCOM) have managed expectations effectively, either they promise beyond what they can deliver or don't deliver or respond.

2) We need cash - simple as..  This will be easier with a larger number of interested parties.

3) We need backhaul, which if we had a level of interest we could easily pickup.

4) We need an infrastructure, which I am sure we can create

5) We need a legal vessel to run it in (co-op, company, etc)

6) We need a way to police the bandwidth to make sure everyone is getting what they pay for.

After speaking to Dylan and Fasterethernet some time back I personally think it is achievable, the tipping point would be if we could sell in small clusters, i.e. if you as advocates/ambassadors could sell the bandwidth locally to your neighbours, that way you would be acting as a relay?

We could always use fibre to link clusters together?
Lets get our heads together and start getting ourselves out of this predicament instead of waiting for some else to let us down....  again....

Your thoughts people?

[dunny]

Very good idea allthough reading i did find it a bit head blagging lol but to someone whos a bit more tech then myself im sure its easy to understand, What we need to do is, Organise a meeting of people on this forum, im not on about anywhere fancy a pub would do central to all interested, NOT a weekend as places are busy, maybe a weekday i find tuesday a quite night as pubs rnt busy and people rnt busy ect..

Make it around 2 weeks time talking on a forum is great but getting together and meeting up in person i find alot more easy to understand things/figers/ideas ect...

What does everyone else think

[The Dominator]

I would like to at least explore the idea so I am up for it.
I would suggest that any thing we do is a NON-PROFIT making organisation, that way no one will think anyone is in it for the money.

Also - check to see if you are near to any charities or voluntary organisations..

[dunny]

I would like to at least explore the idea so I am up for it.
I would suggest that any thing we do is a NON-PROFIT making organisation, that way no one will think anyone is in it for the money.

Also - check to see if you are near to any charities or voluntary organisations..

Perfect idea, at the end of the day to outlay we pay for badwidth ect.. wont matter we allready pay over 200 pounsd a year for out internet this way we will pay for our internet once and never again lol

[Hígh Treason]

Yeah, I like the ideas here, I guess you can count me in if you need any help... as long as it won't affect my dole.

[The Dominator]

woahhhh....
Bandwidth is a consumable..
You pay for what you use (think of electricity)..

This will not be a cheaper way of doing things, it would be us(aka forum members) taking control and creating our own solution and beholding to no body.  It would also mean that all our money would go on the bandwidth and infrastructure needed, it wouldn't go on profits.

[Ace247]

Yeah a Meet would be a good idea, and if it all goes to pot at least we can al get $hit faced instead...

But seriously, the guys on the forum with all the wherewithal to get this idea into something we can all comprehend would be a good starting point.
I  think most of know how it works but how it's constructed, legalities, hardware, costs etc..need to be astablished, but yeah I'm in..

[Keith]

we tried getting a link to our premises 10mb/s and was shocked at KCs rate 10k~ per anum, this was to pipe it to 10 bussiness' via wifi on 10:1
I would think you would need at least 100mb connection to share out and some overselling

[richardmyers]

I think it's worth exploring the idea, and the costs that would be incurred - this would of course need to be weighed against the freedom of being in charge of our own network rather than as you say having to rely on Karoo/NextGen/Quickline. Either way we have nothing to lose by finding out the facts.

I work with a few charities at the moment, mostly with the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank who supply young people in Hull with grants for their business and provide them with help/advice/support. In the past a company I co-founded regularly made donations to Candlelighters child leukaemia charity.