Anyone getting squeeky bum time with Digital Region?

[Swampster]

Does make one wonder... the absolute silence regarding the tender process this late in the year!
Where's the money coming from to keep the whole thing afloat? I thought the last cash injection was enough to ensure operation until the end of the year...

[Ray_Von]

Wonder if there is someone who will just pull a plug out on the stroke of midnight on Dec 31st

[alec1951]

Perfect end to the year, universe ending tomorrow, broadband dead the following week...

[Swampster]

Least we've got a week before things really start to go pear shaped then

[Nutty34]

This is a government/local authority funded project paid for by us the tax payer. It will not be allowed to fold. It will remain funded until some kind of sale/transfer is agreed.

[SpencerUk]

@Nutty34

I'm sure there was only money to keep it going until end of the year and the councils were putting money in to keep it going. With the current climate, they can't do that.

ISP Review have an article covering that.

[Nutty34]

(21-12-2012 08:44 PM)SpencerUk Wrote:  @Nutty34

I'm sure there was only money to keep it going until end of the year and the councils were putting money in to keep it going. With the current climate, they can't do that.

ISP Review have an article covering that.

I think the section at the bottom of this paragraph about public funds being used says it all :


At present the Digital Region contract, which currently resides with Thales, remains the subject of an on-going tender (sale) process. The networks backers, which include Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley Councils, hope to find a private company (e.g. ISP) that could continue to operate the network for another 7 years (public funds could still be used in support).

[alec1951]

At the moment the only reasonable broadband I can get in my area is Digital Region, so if it folds I would be reduced to using an asthmatic carrier pidgin. However I have just done a line check with BT and it tells me that there will be a WBS box in my area from the 31st of March 2013. So as long as DR staggers on until then I will have a viable alternative.

Given that BT is developing its network across the region my question is, is DR a viable business proposition, more importantly is it ever going to be viable?

It will be interesting to see what happens when the BT box opens, there are still people in my area who do not know that DR is up and running here. I bet they will be told when BT opens its service.

[Nutty34]

(23-12-2012 12:23 AM)alec1951 Wrote:  At the moment the only reasonable broadband I can get in my area is Digital Region, so if it folds I would be reduced to using an asthmatic carrier pidgin. However I have just done a line check with BT and it tells me that there will be a WBS box in my area from the 31st of March 2013. So as long as DR staggers on until then I will have a viable alternative.

Given that BT is developing its network across the region my question is, is DR a viable business proposition, more importantly is it ever going to be viable?

It will be interesting to see what happens when the BT box opens, there are still people in my area who do not know that DR is up and running here. I bet they will be told when BT opens its service.

Totally agree, the lack of publicity is staggering.

[mirdragon]

I think when the bt box becomes available you will see an influx of installs being performed.

Many people won't leave their current provider to move to one they have never heard of.

If you were normal user on sky and knew they were releasing fttc, would you leave to move to an unknown provider.

All my neighbours waited for BT fttc to become available and didn't want to switch to provider on DR network as there wasn't one that was easily recognised.