| Over recent months the Connected
Communities Broadband team has been
progressing a series of relay sites to serve those communities not yet
able to receive broadband. On the 14th December Comhairle nan Eilean
Siar approved £400k towards the programme which now allows a
number of steps to be progressed including lodging of planning
permissions and in some cases finalising the arrangements for agreeing
use of the sites. Detailed planning and costing has been completed as
has the predictive coverage modelling to ensure the maximum numbers of
subscribers receive a service from the planned installations.
Procurement of equipment and services will also now be undertaken to
enable a phased roll-out of sites.
Detailed surveys have highlighted a greater number of out of
reach areas than originally estimated due to the extreme nature of the
topography and the distances involved. While initial planning focused
on a smaller number of locations it became evident that economies of
scale could be achieved by undertaking this much larger deployment of
sites now planned to cover 33 locations. The first five sites have been
completed where existing buildings or infrastructure could be utilised
to enable the relay sites to be installed. The remaining sites will
require small relay masts and the planned build dates will now result
in most sites being built by March 2008.
While the project team acknowledge that the rollout has taken
longer than anticipated in some areas, it is felt that the enlarged
project will bring significant social and economic benefits to the
rural communities of the Outer Hebrides which on completion of this
initiative, will be one of the most connected rural communities in the
UK.
Yours sincerely
Donnie Morrison
Project Manager
Connected Communities
For further information contact:
Iain Begg iain.begg@hient.co.uk
Tel 01851 707323
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