Lancaster University
Connecting the last mile: providing the largest rural high-capacity regional broadband network for education in Europe
The University’s pioneering work in the development and implementation of fast, low-cost broadband for the public sector, and provision of accompanying enabling services, has enabled remote schools and community facilities across Lancashire and Cumbria to access web-based resources. Networked throughout the two counties and connecting over 1,500 sites, it is unique in concept and scale within Europe, covering 10,000 sq km in a mountainous rural area in which physical network provision is exceptionally difficult. The University has acted as both a technological enabler and a regional adviser in order to create significant change in the educational, cultural and economic capacity of the region.