re-cert ccie written exam

Finally I found some time to sit down and study a little bit. Today I successfully passed the RnS written exam, again. I am in process of making the lab check-list and probably sign for some ccie boot camp here in London.

Announcement of next Fibrecity networks heralds UK’s largest fibre to the home initiative

A official news came from the company I am working for:

13th May 2010 – Fibrecity Holdings, an i3 Group company, has today announced the next Fibrecity networks that it intends to build, which will result in more than one million homes and businesses being connected to its fibre optic network over the next four years – delivering standard speeds of 100Mbps and boosts of up to 1Gbps through the largest fibre to the home initiative in the UK.

Fibrecity networks are planned for Derby, Halton, Nottingham, Plymouth and York, with a target to commence build within the next twelve months. Further cities under consideration for Fibrecity networks include Belfast, Aberdeen, Ipswich and Bristol. Fibrecity Holdings and Birmingham City Council are also in initial discussions for the construction of Fibrecity Birmingham.

These cities are in addition to the Fibrecity networks already underway in Bournemouth and Dundee which have proven the consumer demand for superfast access as more than 35,000 homes have already signed up to be connected in Bournemouth alone.

The i3 Group has also turned the service provider market on its head by introducing the Fibrecity gateway, an open access platform that connects service providers to customers. Opencity Media, an i3 Group company, has developed the Fibrecity gateway to serve as a virtual market place that offers consumer choice by allowing multiple service providers to offer and deliver services over a single Fibrecity network connection.

Elfed Thomas, CEO of i3 Group said: “Today marks another significant step forward in our quest to bring open next generation internet connectivity to homes across the UK. We have developed a unique model that offers consumers more choice than has ever been available before in two ways. Firstly, Fibrecity Holdings is building the only large scale fibre to the home network in the UK that includes existing properties and not just new builds. Secondly, Opencity Media has developed a platform for multiple service providers to offer their services to homes connected to the Fibrecity network.”

Founded in 2002 by Elfed Thomas, i3 Group is a pioneer in building dark fibre optic networks using ready-made ducts including the sewer system to enable super fast connectivity. This method is a fast and cost effective way to lay fibre optic cable without the high costs and disruption caused by road digging. The company is using this and other patented low cost methods to connect homes and businesses directly to fibre optic networks across the UK so that they can benefit from next generation access without compromising access speeds as is the case with fibre to the kerb or cabinet.

Elfed continues: “The antiquated copper ‘last mile’ is the biggest problem for connectivity speeds, slowing them down significantly by the time the network reaches the home and the consumer is trying to access services. Building fibre to the kerb or cabinet will improve speeds, but in my opinion, this is a very short term solution. Only a true fibre to the home connection will ensure we have a solution that will see us through several decades rather than being outdated in a few years.”