Features

WiFi Mesh delivers broadband to DSL "Black spots" in UK villages

Wray and Old Wennington, two villages in Lancashire, are now both online using the LocustWorld wireless mesh. The Mesh is helping homes and businesses in these villages to experience broadband and community networking, reaching places that are too far away for conventional wired internet services.

The mesh in Wray is a joint effort supported by the local community and backed by Lancaster University, with help from Lancaster City Council, Rural Matrix, Community Champions Business Link and UnLtd.

Researchers from the university are studying the impact of wireless technology in remote locations and the residents of Wray are finding out how broadband can transform their communications first hand. Now Old Wennington, a neighbouring village, is also connected up using a wireless mesh network.

Chris Conder is a farmer's wife who desperately wanted broadband in order to continue her teleworking for a graphic designer. Chris is part of a community group 'Wray Community Communications' who have pioneered wireless broadband in Wray, and now in Old Wennington. "I live on the hill between Wray and Wennington", says Chris, "and I can see both locations, so a meshbox here could join these two meshes into one. Merging the networks together would provide greater resilience, lower costs and improved service for both communities."

Chris reports rapid results in the Wennington network, which went online in July 2005. "We had allowed 6 days to install the mesh and get the users connected, so we were really pleased when the whole network took just 3 days to build and get online thanks to the professional skills of Joel and the DalesIT team. We have 8 meshboxes covering some very remote users in Old Wennington. Most of the users on this mesh are businesses, and they have no other way to get broadband."

Although their exchange is enabled for ADSL they are too far from it to get a service, Chris said, "and at those distances dial up won't support more than about 10 kbit/s. These businesses were really disadvantaged before we installed the mesh. Some of them were considering selling up to move away in desperation, as you really can't run a competitive business without broadband. Three of them have offices in town and travel every day. Others could work from home more often if broadband was available."

These businesses in Wennington don't show up on any national statistics identifying absence of broadband services. According to the reference data used by ISPs, which is also available on the internet, all of these addresses have 100% ADSL coverage. But back in reality their experience was different. In some cases these businesses had signed up for broadband, received their modems, plugged them in and then found that they were too far from the exchange to get a working service, so they are "invisible black holes" in the broadband network.

Chris Conder is now busy producing a series of case studies, showing how broadband will help the businesses in Wennington. The project in Old Wennington is funded by the North West Regional Development Agency and installed by DalesIT.

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