Hebweb news 2006: 3-C Takes Broadband Where Others Won't!

3-C Takes Broadband Where Others Won't!

Monday, 11 December 2006

Calder Connect Co-operative (3-C), the Calder Valley’s co-operative Internet Service Provider, has successfully supplied internet access to several residents in Luddendenfoot and Cragg Vale for whom broadband is not available down the telephone line. 3-C has made innovative use of Wireless Broadband to achieve this.

In the Coppy Nook Lane area of Cragg Vale, three 3-C members had their broadband cut off by BT earlier this year. In correspondence to 3-C regarding one of these customers, British Telecom said, "We are currently unable to deliver a more reliable service to your customer. This is because the current broadband technology is distance limited and will not work reliably on very long phone lines."

The letter went on to give notice that BT would terminate the broadband service to our customer two weeks later. Further research revealed that BT had rerouted telephone lines over a longer distance and broadband quality had deteriorated as a result.

Brian Marsden of 3-C's Support Team devised a plan to transmit Wireless Broadband over half a mile from one side of the valley to the other. A 3-C member on the opposite hill agreed to be a Wireless Host to the customers who had lost their service.

Initial testing looked promising and after two days of erecting Wireless antennae, cabling and installing three Wireless Access Points, a Wireless broadband service was established for two customers who had lost their connection. With further work, 3-C went on to reconnect the third member and a new customer has also been connected to the Cragg Vale Wireless Bridge.

At Brearley, Luddendenfoot, 3-C is now supplying 3 homes with wireless broadband. For the latest of these, we have used similar Wireless bridge technology to connect a new member at the top of Hathershelf Lane from a wireless host at High Lee Green.

Linda Clegg, a 3-C member who lost her service said, "We're thrilled to have had our broadband reinstated by 3-C. When BT rerouted the phone line we thought it was no longer possible to have broadband here - that's certainly what they told us. I don't know of any other broadband provider who would have offered us this service. We're really grateful to the Technical Support team who worked so hard, and of course to the 3-C members who are hosting our connection."