information society, the Check list was presented again as a good practice itself.

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1 Issue 9, May B ROADBAND FLASH "The information in this document is provided as it is and with no guarantee or warranty given that the information is fit for any particular purpose. The users therefore use the information at their sole risk and liability." THE EBP PRESENTS TO THE EC A KEY DOCUMENT TO ADVICE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES ON BROADBAND INTERVENTIONS A t the Turin Conference early April to launch the B3 Regions project the European Broadband Portal team took the occassion to present the so-called Check list of Actions for Public Authorities considering broadband interventions in unserved terriotries, a documnet gathering the opinions of all stakeholders of thsi field. George Hall, patron of eris@, presented the document as product of a collective coordinated effort to which key ICT regional networks and other networks specialised on broadband issues have contributed. Leaded by eris@ as the EBP animator, the document recovers structured opinions from B3 regions members, SFERA project participants, former ELANET contacts, Eurocities members and other key experts on ICT development, who discussed the proposal At the eris@ annual conference celebarted in Cáceres on the 7th of May, in front of 150 participants from all over Europe who were sharing their experiences in how to develop a successful and inclusive IN THIS ISSUE information society, the Check list was presented again as a good practice itself. George Hall, who was chairing a session dedicated to technologies at the conferece, highlighted the importance of the European Broadband Portal as common place put in place for the EC to share experiences and knowledge able to produce key documents such as the Check List document. This first draft Check-List of good practices for public authorities contemplating action is meant to give support to overcome the divisive effects of market failure in respect of telecommunications network services within their territory. The intention is to develop this Check-List over time using the extensive experience of a number of wellinformed commentators and members of the European Broadband Portal virtual community. As such, the Check List remains a work Check-List of Actions for Public Authorities considering Broadband Interventions in under-served territories 1 Broadband News 2 SYZEFXIS National Network A Greek Best Practice 3 European Regions for Better ICT Connection - Conference 4 Speech of Vivien Reding at eris@s Annual Conference 5 News on the Portal & Broadband Events 6 Useful Contacts 8 George Hall at Turin s Conference in progress docuemnt, covering five main aspects: 1. Mapping and Coordination 2. Developping the Business Case 3. Finding the Funding 4. Business Models 5. Implementation The Checklist docuemnt is available on-line at checklist.aspx The EBP is financed by: European Commission DG Information Society & Media The European Broadband Portal URL:

2 BROADBAND NEWS Issue 9, May Implementing high-speed internet access: A must for sustainable growth in the European regions The necessity and impact of further implementing broadband internet access in the European regions was the focus of a workshop hosted in Brussels on May 7 th by the Assembly of European Regions (AER), in partnership with EURISY, at the Croatian regions House of Interregional Cooperation. Together with European Commission officials, the workshop gathered representatives from the ICT industry, SMEs, associations and regional representations in Brussels. Broadband access has now been identified as a major priority for the European Union through the one billion euro investment planned under the European Economic Recovery Plan and agreed upon by a European Parliamentary vote. EC officials presented this broadband strategy, together with guidelines on how local and regional authorities can use funds such as the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development to invest in bridging the gaps in broadband coverage. The workshop also featured non-technical, good-practice examples from local and regional authorities who have successfully implemented broadband access in their regions to bring about concrete improvements in local economic attractiveness, territorial cohesion, social development and quality of life for their inhabitants. Study finds more people now working remotely More consumers could be in need of fast and reliable broadband connections as a study shows that many people are now enjoying the benefits of working from home. Research conducted by BT Business found 55 per cent of staff say they now do their jobs from the comfort of their own property, with 88 per cent suggesting that the main reason behind this is the need to cut back on spending. It is advised this approach may also be working, as 60 per cent of respondents confirmed that working from home has had an impact on their finances, making them better off to the tune of between 10 and 20 per day thanks to the need to not travel, pay for car parks or fork out for expensive lunches. Avoiding the need to dress in suitable work attire was another way that people said they were cutting down by not travelling into work, with 83 per cent suggesting home working was eliminating the costs associated with this. In fact, 31 per cent reckon they could save around 250 annually in this way. Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: "We are seeing more and more businesses offering staff the opportunity to work remotely and this flexible approach is proving to be a double win for employers and their employees."the study comes ahead of National Work From Home Day, which takes place across the UK on Friday May 15th.It may also encourage people to compare broadband prices online to make sure they are getting best speed at the right cost. Introduction of broadband internet connections via satellite at local level in Cyprus: On 21 April, Cyprus Minister for Communications and Works, Nikos Nikolaidis, inaugurated installation of 2 broadband internet connection systems via satellite in the communities of Kapedes and Odou. These are the first two communities served within the framework of a Government's policy to provide fast Internet access for free to communities that do not feature this facility yet. According to Government's plans, connectivity shall be provided via satellite and will be financed based upon a relevant contract signed on 23 December 2008 with a satellite operator licensed by the Governments of Greece and Cyprus. Currently, 153 out of a total of 354 communities in Cyprus do not yet have a broadband Internet connection, due to their small size and further relevant reasons. Consequently, their population lacks the opportunity to use the Internet effectively, and this occurs, even though a total of 25 communities maintain primary schools and another 25 of them maintain medical and youth centers. According to the Managing Director of the satellite operator, all 25 communities with schools will have been connected to the Internet by September while efforts will continue in order to achieve, the quickest possible, full coverage of all 153 communities. The European Broadband Portal URL: 2

3 THIS MONTH BROADBAND PROJECT Issue 9, May SYZEFXIS National Network A Greek Best Practice SYZEFXIS Project ( is the Greek Public Administration National Network. It is a multi-service network (voice, data & video) connecting at present 4,500 agencies all over Greece with broadband speed and providing them with security and quality of service. he network gives IP dial tone T to all its actors, providing a rich set of modern services to all of them, including telephony (VoIP & IP telephony), video conference (and multi-conference), guaranteed internet access, VPN support, managed security services, and web & mail hosting. Most of all, SYZEFXIS and its closed user group transform the Greek Public Sector into a secure and controlled network community that can safely communicate in an any-toany way, targeting the emerge of egovernment and eservices in Greece. The most important public state actors in Greece have connectivity to the network, such as: All Greek Ministries, Municipalities, Regions, Hospitals, Social Security actors, Citizen Service Centres, Military Offices and many more! SYZEFXIS securely serves at least 35 Large Scale/Heavy duty Information Systems & eservices all over Greece. 550 out of 700 Greek Public Sector portals (the most important ones) are served via SYZEFXIS infrastructure. At the present phase SYZEFXIS access speeds for its actors are: Small actor of 2 Mbps symmetric link (E1) Medium actor of 8 Mbps symmetric link (4xE1) Large actor of 34 Mbps symmetric optical link (E3) A MPLS (Multiprotocol Lable Switching) cloud all over Greece provided by project s contractors (OTE S.A. & FORTHNET S.A. guarantees the mesh connectivity for all the actors mentioned above. A secured internet feed of 1 Gbps (filtered and monitored) and an s-testa peering (4 Mbps) are the two external pipes of the network. The whole infrastructure has a certain SLA between Greek State and the contractors, including special figures for availability latency packet loss and IP service metrics. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is provided as a service to its users. Onnet Telephony (VoIP SIP implementation) is provided at no cost among the actors and offnet telephony is given at reduced rates. The aggregation of demand reduces at least 45% the expenses of the Greek State for telecom services and guarantees the project funding. The next phase of the project will have increased broadband connectivity (10,100 & 1000 Mbps respectively, as an upgrade to the above three layer classification), more emphasis on security services, a separate Content Delivery Project for eservices acceleration, 5-10 Gbps Internet feed and many more upgrades. At the moment there is co-funding from the EC by 75% of the project cost for 4 years ( ) of service. SYZEFXIS budget was 150 million for 5 years (1 year implementation + 4 years service period). Project Owner is the Greek Ministry of the Interior and its subsidiary Information Society S.A. is the implementation actor. It is one of the biggest public administration national networks and perhaps it is unique for its multiservice quality and security features. Definitely it s a best practice!! Go online and evaluate this project: Pages/ProjectDetail.aspx?ItemID=79 Visit the project s website: The European Broadband Portal URL: 3

4 THIS MONTH BROADBAND EVENT Issue 9, May Broadband: Europe came to Turin, Italy European Regions for Better ICT Connection Conference, Turin International meeting organised by the European Commission (EC) and Piedmont Region with cooperation of the B3 Regions project to discuss broadband, competitiveness and development was held in Turin under the banner of the European Regions for better ICT connections conference. he event, held on 2-3 of April, T in the famous Lingotto Conference Centre, aimed to open wide consultation on issues surrounding the development of the EU broadband strategy and the way it will fit into the future EU ICT policy framework after the current i2010 initiative. The conference was divided into two main parts: First day was devoted to present the B3 Regions Regions for Better Broadband Connection, an international project for the spread of broadband in Europe, which aims to share strategies, best practices and organisational and investment models for creating network infrastructures in the countries involved in the initiative (To find out more about B3Regions project please visit This part was focused to show how different regional and national governments and ICT experts are sharing their methodology and ICT approach in order to better implement a successful broadband strategy across EU. In order to share and disseminate the project s activities to the wider European community, results of three thematic workshops already executed within the project were presented and discussed. They concerned Demand Aggregation, egovernment Services and Management of Infrastructure, and State Aid Regulation. During the second conference day, the Info day on Broadband and the EU action in the recovery event took place. This initiative aimed to present the challenges posed and opportunities offered by broadband, to discuss success stories of regions and ICT operators and look at different investment models. Heads of DG Units, European IT operators and broadband experiences representatives presented their strategies and policies. By bringing together decision-makers, ministry officials and heads of EU Regions, as well as representatives from Telecom operators, broadband and ICT specialists from different countries, the conference gave an opportunity to discuss new public - private - partnership strategies with telecommunication operators and plans to reduce the digital divide. The appointment in Turin was the first official occasion to illustrate the decision of the Presidency of the European Council, on the proposal of the EC, to earmark approximately one billion euro to expand and improve high-speed internet connections in the rural communities of Europe - to fill the present gaps in the broadband map. According to the estimates of the EC, the network should create one million new jobs in these areas and generate significant economic growth. The expansion and renovation of the high-speed internet infrastructure is an economic and social imperative and the aim is to achieve 100% high-speed internet coverage in Europe by The European Council has also cited the fundamental role of telecommunications and broadband development in terms of European investment, the creation of jobs and global economic recovery. For more details and all conference presentations please visit: innovazione/regions4ict.html. The European Broadband Portal URL: 4

5 Issue 9, May Viviane Reding addresses the importance of ICT in the development of the European Regions at the Annual Conference Although her agenda was compromise for the dates the annual conference took place, Commissioner for Information Society issues Viviane Reding didn t want to miss the opportunity to address key regional actors the European Commission opinon on the importance of ICT for the development of regions L adies and Gentleman, thank you for inviting me to address the eris@ Annual Conference in Cáceres this year. I want to speak to you about the latest developments in EU s ICT policy and the broadband actions foreseen in the European recovery plan. Last March the European Council approved the Commission s proposal for a recovery plan that includes 5 billion of unspent EU budget money for actions to speed up this recovery. Of this total figure around 1 billion is earmarked on the agricultural budget for broadband and other innovative actions in the rural areas. This decision is a clear recognition of the growing importance of ICT in our economy; in our society. A connected economy based on high-speed broadband means instant links capable of high volume transfers and sophisticated multimedia services. According to a recent study, broadband development could create around one million new jobs and 850 billion increase in economic activity until The ICT sector is by itself an important source of jobs and growth and is more resistant than other sectors to the current downturn. It is the biggest spender also in research and development. But the real impact of ICT is a multiplier effect it has on the wider economy. A connected economy can respond faster and more productivity to new opportunities. Connecting firms can help them to be more efficient, to cut costs by outsourcing business processes, by finding the best deals for suppliers, to access new markets. Take the example of online business services: We could cut by those, computer service overheads by 90%. These kinds of gains are only possible of course if we have high-speed broadband reaching out to all businesses in all places of Europe. But the benefits are not only for businesses. ICT is an enabling factor which delivers health, education, cultural services online. Public services will only be fully cost effective if everybody can get access. We are starting to see what web-access can be an effective tool for encouraging participation and openness. Used wisely, we can use the connected democracy to rebuild trust in our institutions. But again: this will only be credibly if an open and affordable broadband infrastructure is available to all citizens. Let us therefore imagine as we move out of the crisis that access to an affordable broad-band infrastructure for all is not just a nice slogan but it is something that we are committed to be putting in practice and a sensual part of the post recovery society. These are the prospects that broadband give us: More innovation and growth, opportunities for creativity and the reinforcement of the democratic credentials of a modern society. The Commission is working hard on this. In the coming months we will adopt the first elements of the comprehensive European Broadband Strategy. Our aim for the strategy is clear to trigger the investment needed in high speed open internet, to stimulate the development of wireless web and to make broadband services available to 100% of Europeans. To this end the Commission will clarify how public authorities can act to speed the take-up of high broadband as well as issue a recommendation on how access to next-generation-networks should be regulated in order to stimulate investments while safeguarding competition. Regions and local authorities have a big role to play here. They can invest in areas where the market does not. They can assess demand for broadband, facilitate access to ducts, coordinate civil works according to local needs. They can also invest in an open passive broadband infrastructure in synergy with other networks. They can exploit fully the Commission s initiative to bring high-speed broadband to rural areas. I am happy to see that regions are being very proactive in this field. The regions of Europe will have a central role in securing the EU s goal to reach 100% broadband coverage by Working together we can find solutions to the crisis that make Europe stronger, fairer, more open to change and innovation. Thank you for your attention! The European Broadband Portal URL: 5

6 THIS MONTH NEW ENTRIES IN THE BROADBAND PORTAL Issue 9, May RECENTLY UPLOADED ON THE PORTAL Czech Republic: Regional Broadband Network on the Vysocina Region Slovenia: BANeT Broadband Access Planning Network Tool Visit the EBP website to evaluate these new projects! Do you organize an event related to broadband issues? Have you implemented a broadband project in your region? Does your company want to share experiences in the field of broadband? Do you want to publish interesting news on broadband topics? The European Broadband Portal will support you in sharing your experiences! Register on-line to be part of the Broadband community! Interview to Ken Ducatell on the European Broadband Strategy DucatelInterview.aspx See the video on the web The NextGen Manchester Euro Conference 22 and 23 June, Manchester/UK Registrations will open shortly for further information and to register your interest Marit Hendriks - m.hendriks@broadband.coop NextGen Roadshow info available online The European Broadband Portal URL: 6

7 BROADBAND EVENTS Issue 9, May UPCOMING EVENTS DATE PLACE TITLE LINK 17 th May Global event 20 th 22 th May Hong Kong/ China World Communication and Information Society Day Broadband World Forum Asia index.html bbwf_asia/ 29 th May 7 th June Paris/France Futur en Seine index.php 2 nd 3 rd June Amsterdam/ Netherlands 10 th 12 th June Santander/ Spain 14 th 18 th June 15 th 17 th June 18 th June Dresden/ Germany Brussels/ Belgium Dresden/ Germany WiMAX Forum Global Congress ICT-Mobile Summit page=home IEEE International Conference on Communications icc// The 4th Annual European Spectrum Management Conference First International Workshop on Green Communications home.html 3 rd - 5 th August Prague/Czech Republic FITCE Conference - The Forum of ICT specialists 7 th - 9 th September Paris/France Broadband World Forum Europe events//bbwf/ 28 th - 30 th September 11 th 12 th November St. Malo/France Berlin/Germany 5 th International FOKUS IMS Workshop - Next Generation Networks in Face of the Future Internet NEM Summit - Towards Future Media Internet en/fokus_events/ngni/ ims_ws_09/index.html UPCOMING EVENTS ON BROADBAND AT EventsList.aspx The European Broadband Portal URL: 7

8 THE EBP BACKGROUND INFORMATION Issue 9, May The European Broadband Portal (EBP) is a follow-up action of the European Commission resulting from the Bridging the Broadband Gap Conference (14-15 May 2007, Brussels), which concluded that there was a need to support public authorities in areas under-served by broadband to improve supply and conditions of supply. The EBP is financed by: European Commission DG Information Society & Media The development of the EBP has been initiated by the European Commission (DG Information Society & Media) following an open Call for Tender for the supply of a "Web Portal for Exchange of Good Practice for Broadband Deployment". The project commenced in January 2008 and will last for a period of 30 months. The project seeks to create a coherent on-line community of relevant stakeholders, providing them with the tools for effective sharing of experiences and good practices and a participatory environment for seeking common and shared solutions. THE PROJECT TEAM GEORGE HALL The European Regional Information Society Association Main Contractor Spenta Consulting SL Subcontractor George Hall Ltd Subcontractor PROJECT LEADER. COORDINATION, ANIMATOR, CONTENTS PROVIDER WEB DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR, COORDIANTOR ENHANCING PARTICIPATION I.S. Media Subcontractor For more information: The European Regional Information Society Association 24, Boulevard de l'empereur, B-1000 Brussels tlf.: fax: VISIBILITY IN NEW MEMEBER STATES The Broadband Flash is published each month. You are very much invited to contribute; give us your feedback or subscribe to the Newsletter: info@broadband-europe.eu The European Broadband Portal URL: 8