Europe
On March 23, the Fiber to the Home network ("Ons Net" meaning "Our Net") of the small town of Nuenen, the Netherlands was officially opened. The ceremony underscored the fact that a new, cooperative model for next generation broadband deployment may provide a key for success in a market dominated by incumbents and protective regulations.
As many public entities are faced by the challenge of overcoming regulatory hurdles with regard to governmental investments in passive infrastructures, the Nuenen initiative now provides a succesful alternative: not municipalities but residents can be owner of a network competitive to the incumbent cable and telecom infrastructures. In other words: a cooperative model. The question whether people will be inclined to make the switch to fiber-carried broadband once offered seems to have been answered. Some of the key elements in the Nuenen success story include the following:
-Local residents collectively own the network through a joint private entity
-97% of all residents have been connected. Only 3% declined
-7.300 connections are now 'live'
-An important ingredient to the Nuenen success proved to be the focus on matters that concern people (medical care, education, church, sports) rather than a focus on technology
-The network is now being extended to an Eindhoven area where almost 6000 residents have registered in a matter of weeks.
The cooperative model will not be easy to implement everywhere. Especially large urban areas may opt for different models. But the Nuenen model is likely to breath new live into shelved policies to provide adequate broadband infrastructures to more remote communities.
Nuenen is formally part of the Kenniswijk test region. Please contact us for more information on Kenniswijk as well as the Nuenen network
