Broadband in Cornwall

The sound of computers using slow dial-up modems to connect to the Internet is rapidly fading across Cornwall. A broadband connection is always on, which is faster and able to transmit larger pieces of data. For a region that is at least five hours away by car from London, broadband has given Cornwall the means to shrug off its image as an economic backwater.

Broadband is a recent economic factor in this area. Since the closure of tin mines in the 1980s, Cornwall's economy has depended on agriculture and seasonal tourism. Although it's a popular holiday destination, the region's wealth lags behind the European average.

In 2000, the European Union therefore designated Cornwall as a so-called Objective One area, meaning that the gross domestic product per capita for the region was below 75 percent of the EU average. Over the past six years, Brussels has contributed more than 400 million Euros ($527.6 million) towards regenerating Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

A major task -- but feasible

Broadband access is a major showpiece of where these funds are heading. The project's initial target was to get 3,300 businesses on broadband, said Nigel Ashcroft, project director of actnow. This non-profit partnership was established to promote economic development in Cornwall through the use of broadband technology.

"When I saw the initial target right at the beginning, I thought it was absolutely huge and a big risk," Ashcroft said. Today, there were some 9,000 businesses using broadband on a regular basis, he said.

"It seems easy looking back, but without that EU support, we wouldn't even be at step one now," Ashcroft said. But he said just because broadband became available didn't mean everyone used it.

"Some people in Cornwall didn't know what broadband was and what the benefits were," Ashcroft said. "So unless we had really good marketing, education and a stimulation campaign alongside having the right kit in the exchanges, we would have gotten very low take up."

Broadband can save time and money for local industries

On Folly Farm, the James Family was quick to take up actnow's advice and the funding incentives to upgrade to broadband. Since 1964, they've run a dairy and beef cattle farm overlooking the sea near Hoe Point. Fast and reliable broadband meant they could save time and money.

Patricia James said they have reduced costs by purchasing farm supplies on the Internet. In addition, registering newborn calves online with livestock authorities has become more efficient. She said their old dial-up Internet connection was so time consuming that filling in calf registration forms by hand was often a better option.

"If you didn't have broadband, it would be slow and you'd be filling in paper applications and going up to the post office to post them off," James said. "This is so much quicker."

Can

Cornwall become one of the world's IT hubs?

It's not only traditional rural industries that are making the most of broadband. The Digital Peninsula Network (DPN), with 150 members, is a resource center within an old stone brewery in Penzance. Web designers, photographers and IT specialists are all making use of the high-speed Internet and digital equipment.

Jessica Smalley, DPN's marketing manager, said she believed broadband could turn Cornwall into one of the world's information technology hubs.

"We've got over 3,000 practitioners working in Cornwall in the information technology sector and it is a place that has historically been creative," Smalley said. "If you put those together with broadband connection, which takes away any technological barriers, Cornwall is highly in place to become a serious hub within Europe in terms of information technology expertise."

Local web designer and DPN member Janus Howard said the speed of broadband Internet has made an enormous difference to his work.

"It's absolutely fantastic really, as it enables me to work from home or from the DPN center with no difficulty," Howard said. "Without broadband, my job would probably take five to ten times longer than it does, as I spend most of my time on the Internet uploading work onto websites."

Helping Cornwall compete on the global market

Broadband also means that Cornish-based firms can now compete effectively on the global market. Morgan Francis and his partner Erica Darby sought a better quality of life closer to the beach. So they left London in 2000 and set up Spider Eye, a digital animation firm in the village of St Just.

Spider Eye has just signed a new development deal with animation giant Disney. If their work goes into production, they will need to employ 40 animators for 12 months. Darby said having broadband meant their workflow and contact with their client would not be a problem.

"We'll meet them every few months at the very most because they're in Los Angeles or New York and we're here," Darby said. "We'll have a lot of initial face-to-face meetings, but really all the day-to-day running of the series is going to be done by e-mail, by phone and by broadband."

Broadband technology makes working more flexible

Since 2002, actnow has harnessed 30 million Euros in public and private investment -- 12 million Euros of which from the European Union. Working with telecommunication firm BT, actnow developed step-by-step phases to upgrade all 100 telephone exchanges in Cornwall for broadband.

Actnow said that the rollout of broadband in Cornwall with European Union investment has secured more than 3,000 jobs. Cornwall's appeal as a desirable place to live has also prompted actnow's Ashcroft to boldly predict that broadband technology will make Cornwall "the flexible working capital of the UK."

Ashcroft would like to see more Cornish businesses promote working "anytime anywhere." That vision would mean Cornwall would have to keep pace with new developments such as wireless Internet and faster connection speeds.

But with additional help from the EU Convergence Fund over 2007 to 2013, Cornwall could well be placed to achieve the goal of connecting every business and household to the Internet.