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08/01/2006U.K.'s Largest Outdoor Wi-Fi Network Goes Live
Learn firsthand about Norfolk Open Link and more than a dozen broadband-wireless initiatives around the U.K. and Europe at the W2i Digital Cities Convention in London , September 25–26, 2006.
Funded with £1.1m of public money, Norfolk Open Link provides outdoor Wi-Fi coverage using over 200 Telabria mesh access points (APs) mounted predominantly on streetlights around the city, with a coverage area up to 30 square kilometers. Later this year, Open Link will be extended to twenty rural locations in the district of South Norfolk.
Public-sector workers will be able to access the system at speeds up to 1Mbps and organizations including health, education, and emergency services will be considering a range of projects to help evaluate the network. The project is not allowed to compete with commercial broadband providers; the speed at which the general public may connect is rate limited to 256Kbps.
The following Q&A about the deployment was prepared by Norfolk County Council. For more information, visit www.norfolkopenlink.com
1. What is Norfolk Open Link?
Norfolk Open Link is the largest free community wireless broadband network in the UK. It provides free internet access for public sector employees, the business community and the general public in Norwich. It is two-year pilot project, run by Norfolk County Council, from August 2006 to April 2008, to evaluate the impact of mobile technology. It is fully funded by the East of England Development Agency
2. What is Norfolk Open Link hoping to achieve?
The aim is to understand if all public sector organisations - health, education, social services, police, fire service and public transport - can benefit from and improve their effectiveness by using wireless based technology. A series of practical projects will be developed to test this potential outcome.
Norfolk Open Link will also include greater collaboration within the public sector, more use of home and mobile working and the opportunity for council, police and fire service staff to access information when away from their office.
3. What about the private sector?
Norfolk Open Link offers free wireless internet access for small and medium sized businesses within the project area using wireless enabled laptops, personal digital assistants (PDA) and mobile phones. It is also aiming to improve the information flow for the tourism industry. It is hoped that Norfolk Open Link will encourage private sector investment in wireless and broadband networks in the region.
4. And the general public?
Free public internet access is available in the Open Link area using wireless enabled laptops, personal digital assistants (PDA) and mobile phones.
5. Where can I access Norfolk Open Link?
The network covers a large area of Norwich city centre, to a 4km radius from County Hall, as well as key sites to the east and west of the city: Broadland Business Park , University of East Anglia , Norwich Science Park and Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital. In addition 28 hotspots in South Norfolk will be enabled shortly.
6. Is the network accessible in buildings?
Although the network is designed as an outside network in some locations it will be accessible from buildings.
7. How do I access Norfolk Open Link?
To access Norfolk Open Link, you need a wireless enabled laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA) or mobile phone, the wireless card needs to be turned on and working and you need to be in a Norfolk Openlink enabled area
8. At what speed will I be able to access the network?
The project is not allowed to compete with commercial wifi services, so the access speed for businesses and the public has been set at 256 kilobits per second (256kbs). Each session has also been limited to an hour.
Public sector users will connect at one megabit per second (1mbps). This is at a higher speed than other users because of operational requirements.
9. When will Norfolk Open Link be available?
The project will be fully operational from July 2006 to April 2008.
10. How much is the project costing to set up and run?
The total cost of the project over 2 years is £1.1 million.
11. How is the project funded?
Norfolk Open Link is fully funded by the East of England Development Agency.
12. Who is involved with Norfolk Open Link?
The network has been developed by Norfolk County Council, in partnership with South Norfolk District Council, Norwich City Council, University of East Anglia , Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Norwich City College.
13. Who is the contractor?
An experienced provider of broadband services Synetrix Ltd. www.synetrix.co.uk , has created and manages the wireless network.
14. Has the network required new radio masts?
No. The network features more than 200 small Telabria APM 300 aerials, fixed to existing street furniture like lampposts. Each aerial has a 250m reception radius. The aerials feed signals back to nine 'backhaul' sites, which then link up to the project's 40mb internet link.
15. Is the wireless network safe?
There are no safety concerns with the wireless network equipment. A study carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), for the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) found that at times there can be greater background radio intrusion from television and radio transmissions than from the wireless network access points. As a precaution, all aerials have been sited high on lampposts and buildings so that they are at least 30cm from the user.
16. Why is this just a pilot project?
Constraints on how public funds can be used for this type of project meant that it had to be implemented on a pilot basis.
17. What will happen after the two-year project?
The current plan is for the service to be switched off at the end of April 2008. Norfolk County Council will produce a report on the impact of the project. It is hoped that some sort of wireless service will be continued for the public sector. However at this stage there is no commitment beyond April 2008.
18. Do you restrict the websites that people access?
Internet access is open and unfiltered. This means that we do not need users to register before they use the network. But we do ask them to check a box to confirm that they accept the conditions of the 'acceptable use policy' before they are allowed access. The policy includes requirements that users will not access the network for illegal purposes. We can always locate their connection details.
19. Is there a risk that children will use Open Link to access unsuitable material?
There is a risk. However access will not be allowed via Norfolk County Council school computers.
20. Will my computer be at risk to virus infection if I use Open Link?
As the network is open, there is a risk of virus infection. Users should ensure that they have installed suitable anti virus and personal security software as is normally recommended for any device that connects to the internet.
21. Are any other networks being planned in Norfolk?
A South Norfolk network operating under the Norfolk Open Link banner will come online later this year.
22. Where will the South Norfolk network operate?
At 28 hotspots throughout the county, these are still under negotiation.
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