What is Ultraband?
Ultraband is the word we use to describe what the industry calls “next generation access” (NGA). Although Nottingham (and the UK in general) is a leader in broadband availability, speeds are limited and as internet use continues to grow, we are experiencing the limitations of the current infrastructure.
This is a threat to business – customers are demanding improved service levels and responsiveness, more data online and new bandwidth-hungry services such as video. A lack of available bandwidth will also stifle innovation. If we can’t provide the bandwidth that businesses need, it will hurt our economy and make it less likely that other businesses will want to locate in Nottingham. Conversely, if we can provide it, we have a competitive advantage over other areas. This is true for the UK on a global scale just as it is for Nottingham on a national level.
There are numerous technologies that can deliver Ultraband-level speeds and bandwidth, but at the moment very little has been deployed around the country. The problem is that, unlike broadband as we know it, most of the current infrastructure cannot deliver the capacity. That means we need new cables to be laid, most likely fibre-optics, which is an expensive task.
You might have seen BT’s announcement in July 2008 that they want to rollout “super-fast broadband” to up to 10m households at a cost of £1.5bn. That gives you an idea of how much it costs!
Our role is to find ways to make it happen in Greater Nottingham, as soon as we can. That might mean proving to BT that they should come here early on, or it might mean finding new ways to fund the investment and manage the network required. We’re open to ideas and options, as long as they have a sound business case and can work within the regulatory framework prescribed by Ofcom.
We’re starting by looking at the Lace Market and surrounding area of Nottingham, because we know there are lots of creative, IT and information-driven businesses there that are likely to need Ultraband. You can see a rough outline of the target area here:
To learn more about the technologies that can provide Ultraband, see the Resources section.
