29 May 2003 London--Telindus, the pan-European network solutions and services provider, has assisted Durham County in northern England to develop Durham Net, a broadband network that will connect Durham County Council and seven district councils across.
Initially 500 sites, including 308 schools, 114 libraries and other council buildings, will be connected at speeds of 2Mbit/s-100Mbit/s. Moreover, SMEs in the region will be invited to connect to the network, which will give them the affordable broadband access they need to drive business and employment opportunities.
"Durham Net is a prime example of how local government can drive community regeneration by exploiting IT," says Alan Hodgson, director of e-government services at Durham County Council. "We have built a network that will serve the whole community, from schools and village halls to registrars and local businesses.
"With better use of a precious resource - the network infrastructure - local governments can set themselves up as ISPs, lifting prohibitive broadband pricing and creating opportunities in their counties."
Vince Hafferty, regional sales manager, Telindus, says, "Durham Net delivers a broadband infrastructure to a rural community where the traditional Telcos aren't interested in delivering the technology. It's a tool that will service the entire county - as well as helping the councils to meet their e-government targets."
Telindus supplied a network solution that uses high-speed radio technology and a combination of ATM/IP networking technologies at the core, partnering with Networks by Wireless for the delivery of the radio network.
Telindus is also providing a full technical support package for all the network equipment installed.
The network will be live from June 2003.