Public sector broadband organisation NYnet has been appointed as technology consultants to a major new €3.5 million project to improve internet access and IT systems across Europe.
In the first project of its kind, the ‘B3 – Regions for Better BroadBand connection’ initiative aims to improve Europe’s internet access and will run for 26 months, involving partner organisations from nine EU member states.
NYnet was invited to participate in the B3 project following the organisations groundbreaking work to introduce high speed broadband to North Yorkshire, an area that had previously suffered from a lack of internet access.
The project called ‘B3 – ‘Regions for Better Broadband Connection’ aims to tackle the difficulties of implementing broadband connections in remote or disadvantaged areas and follows EU research which found only 60% of businesses and households in remote and rural areas of the EU have broadband. This compares to over 90% in more urban areas.
To redress the imbalance and combat the documented social and economic disadvantages of poor internet access, the project aims to transfer the existing good practices demonstrated by NYnet throughout the EU member states, contributing to the economic modernisation and increased competitiveness of Europe.
NYnet joins the project as experts in the field of rural economic and social regeneration through the provision of high speed broadband services and is the sole UK representative from a consortium of nine countries from across Europe.
More…/
/…2
David Cullen, NYnet Chief Executive said:
“I am delighted that the work of NYnet to bring high speed broadband to North Yorkshire has been highlighted as a model of good practice to be shared throughout Europe. Our project is both unique and groundbreaking and will serve as an excellent case study of best practice to be shared with our European neighbours.
“The project will also enable NYnet to benefit from the experiences of the other consortium partners and through the exchange of ideas and knowledge, will help us to further enhance our own service provision.”
Led by Italian based IT specialists Csi Piemonte, the project will draw from the collective knowledge and expertise of seventeen technology and IT specialists from across Europe with businesses from Italy, France, Spain and Poland amongst the nations selected.
Commenting on the EU appointment, Jim Farmery Assistant Director for Business Innovation at Yorkshire Forward said:
“NYnet has made a real difference to North Yorkshire through the organisations innovative work to develop a high speed broadband infrastructure and the decision by the EU to approach NYnet as experts in the delivery of rural broadband is a real recognition of the projects achievements”.
NYnet, which was formed in collaboration between Yorkshire Forward and North Yorkshire County Council with funding from the European Union, is tasked with providing an ultra-high-speed internet network to ensure North Yorkshire is not ‘left behind’ the rest of the world in the next phase of the internet revolution.
The "Regions for Better BroadBand connections" ("B3 Regions") project was approved on 24th April 2008 and is funded by the European Territorial Cooperation INTERREG IV C Programme. Its objective is the dissemination of broadband through structural funds and the transfer of best practice among European regions.