Press release: Rutland Telecom - local and national business press release
Distribution: Local Rutland and Leicester business media plus national
Distribution date: May 2009

RUTLAND TELECOM 1ST TO CONNECT RURAL AREAS WITH HI-SPEED BROADBAND

Rural populations are currently enjoying high-speed broadband thanks to the pioneering work by Uppingham and Oakham-based Rutland Telecom.

Headed up by entrepreneur and ex-Uppingham School teacher Dr David Lewis and Rural Broadband Consultant Mark Melluish, the company is now embarking on a programme known as Subloop Unbundling to supply high speed Next Generation broadband services to villages for the first time.

Residents and businesses in rural areas can volunteer to be migrated onto Rutland Telecom's own network and see connection speeds boosted as high as 80Mbps. Businesses can also now receive long-awaited SDSL services with upload speeds up to 40Mbps.

Rutland Telecom's project in Lyddington (Rutland) has set a precedent across the UK, which demonstrated it is possible for rural areas with demand for high upload and download speeds to have it delivered from street cabinets by smaller operators with community support.

Mark Melluish said: "Rutland Telecom has already demonstrated that it is financially viable to unbundle very small rural exchanges, which are not targeted by the large companies.

"What is now significant is that we have gone even further in the tiny rural village of Lyddington (population 400) where the community has raised £25,000 for us to deliver the UK's first ever symmetrical services from a street cabinet using subloop unbundling. This means both fast upload and download speeds will be available for the first time."

Following some initial complications, OFCOM clarified the situation so that the project could get off the ground and as a result is now due for completion this summer. The upload speeds available will be the highest in the UK for any residential broadband service.

Dr Charles Trotman, Country Landowners Association (CLA) Head of Rural Business Development, welcomed the progress that is being made. Dr Trotman said: "This shows that it is possible for rural communities to receive next generation access broadband. This is an important step forward and one which should be congratulated."

High-speed connectivity is often denied to rural areas by the likes of Sky, Carphone Warehouse and Tiscali who consider it unprofitable to unbundle small exchanges. Rutland Telecom's work attempts to remedy this situation, which was highlighted recently by Lord Carter, Minister for Communications, who stated that there maybe 'no economic case' (for the private sector) to deliver high-speed networks to 25-30 per cent of the UK's rural households.

Dr David Lewis said: "Where we see local demand for specialist services, as we have done in Lyddington, we have the flexibility to innovate.

"We are excited to be developing the first UK offering of fast upload speeds from street cabinets. Coupled with our lower contention ratios and local service and support, this will bring unique services to an otherwise technologically-impoverished rural community.

"The 'digital divide' has become one of the major social and business issues of our time. Investing in high speed broadband could be the key to stimulating rural economies everywhere so people can remain in the countryside to live and work."

So far Rutland Telecom has unbundled the county's two main exchanges, enabling over 50% of Rutland's population to receive high speed services. The remaining exchanges will soon follow along with more street cabinets to serve remote villages like Lyddington. The UK's smallest county will become the first to receive Next Generation Broadband from every exchange by a local operator.

Rutland Telecom, which is unique in having high street shops to support its customers, has also had enquires from other areas of the country to develop similar schemes; again in areas poorly served by the national internet providers.

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