FP6 PROJECTS

A-BARD

Analysing Broadband Access for Rural Development (A-BARD) is a 6FP Coordination Action to research rural broadband provision and use.

A-BARD aims to provide answers to the following questions:

What applications and services exist, what is emerging, how, when and who should implement the solutions?

When will they be accessible and affordable in rural areas?

What socio-economic aspects need to be considered to ensure that meaningful applications and services development and implementation takes place in rural areas?

A-BARD recognises that usability and acceptability issues are critical to the widespread deployment and use of ICT in rural areas. Such issues ultimately determine the possible impact of information technology as an external driver of change in rural communities.

More Information on:

http://www.a-bard.org/

Newsletters

October 2005

In this third issue of the A-BARD eNewsletter, we look at broadcast technologies in the delivery of broadband. The switch from analogue to digital TV is likely to impact rural Europe with yet few clues whether the switch will further divide the rural and urban areas in terms of service offerings.

Also in this issue we report from our first case study about rural broadband deployment in Sweden.

Broadband Broadcasting technologies for rural Europe: A Summary

The different television broadcast platforms used to deliver broadband include satellite, cable and MMDS. However, the major European satellite TV providers do not provide broadband over satellite. Other broadcast platforms such as Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), are currently not providing broadband but may do so in the future and offer solutions for rural Europe. Television broadcasts may be accessed over some mobile and fixed telephony networks. Emerging broadband platforms, such as aerial, may provide broadcast services in the future.

News and Developments about Broadcast Technologies

Broadcasting services operator TDF officially switched on the second phase of French Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) on Saturday evening. The transmitters at 17 new sites (Ajaccio, Bayonne, La Rhune, Bourges, Caen, Herouville, Cherbourg Digosville, Grenoble, Tour-sans-Venin, Le Havre, Harfleur, Lyon, Mont Pilat, Le Mans, Nantes, Orleans, Reeims, HauTVilliers, St Etienne, Toulon and Toulouse) came into service, bringing DTT to 50% of the country, up from the previous 35%.

Summary of Conclusions

Television broadcast platforms are unlikely to provide broadband access in rural areas. However, rural broadband access would provide alternative access to TV broadcasts.

DTH (digital TV provided by Satellite) allow some interactivity, including access to the Internet, both systems are constrained by the need for a return channel.

Broadband deployment in Katrineholm

In retrospect development of broadband to the citizens living in Katrineholm has taken just 5 years. The issue in Katrineholm has never been if broadband should be developed but by who and the time and cost allowed for development.

More information? click here

The A-Bard Consortium!