ThinkingWisp
24th January 2012
New internet service improves rural broadband
In a bid to improve rural broadband AF Affinity has launched an innovative new internet service – ThinkingWISP. The move (which is a partnership with Intouch Systems and the Norfolk Rural Comminty Council) uses the latest wireless technology to transmit broadand to communities in the Marsham and Aylsham area, giving a fast and reliable service.
ThinkingWISP, which has been operating since November, is already proving popular, with 45 local installations already benefiting. Better still, more communities are likely to get access to ThinkingWISP in the future, as there are plans to roll the service out to a wider area once it has been established.
Rural internet customers often get a slow service because broadband degrades the further it travels along cables; meaning customers ‘at the end of the line” get a slower service. ThinkingWISP resolves the problem by dispensing with cables and using wireless technology to transmit broadband - so customers get a fast, stable and reliable service, wherever they live.
The system works using radio waves. A transmitter in Norwich, linked to a high speed fibre optic connection, beams the signal to a mast near Marsham. Transmitters on the mast then broadcast the signal in all directions for up to a 20 mile radius, allowing customers to use small aerials to connect to the internet. The service uses very low contention rates (the number of people who share the same band width) to ensure customers receive a consistent, high speed service; and the signal is encrypted for added security.
While excellent coverage is usually available thanks to the height of the transmitter, a line ‘line of sight’ is required between the Marsham transmitter and the aerial it transmits to. If objects near a property are deflecting the signal a repeater unit can be installed that allows the signal to pass around them.
One of the first members to receive ThinkingWISP was Graham Wells, of Brandiston Farms, near Reepham. Graham said “I would recommend ThinkingWISP to anyone in rural areas with poor internet coverage. Previously our internet was slow and unreliable but now it is much quicker and more reliable.
“We are signed up to the 8mb package and because of the low contention rates, what we are paying for is what we are getting. This is in contrast to many other service providers who promise fast network speeds but very often this isn’t what is delivered.
“Having a reliable internet service from ThinkingWISP has made a difference to our farm by allowing us to submit single farm payment applications and environmental schemes online.”
Anglia Farmers (AF Affinity’s buying group) executive project manager, Louis Clabburn, who has been helping to co-ordinate ThinkingWISP said: “Broadband access is increasingly important for businesses to operate efficiently and the band width they need is getting bigger and bigger as technology moves on. Unfortunately, many rural areas have been left off the radar by major internet providers.
“ThinkingWISP is helping to deliver this critical service and enabling rural businesses to compete more effectively. As well as the obvious applications for broadband it also has additional benefits to the rural infrastructure, such a Vodafone Sure Signal, which when plugged into the internet, helps to boost poor mobile phone reception.”
Four service packages (ranging from 3 mb ‘home’ to 10mb ‘business plus’) are available and cost from £15.99-£50.99 per month including VAT. Unlike most internet services this is not an ‘up to’ service - so customers get the speed they are paying for.
Free installation is available for the first 200 customers and there is 30 day no quibble money back guarantee. To receive the service you need to live within a 20 mile radius of the Marsham transmitter. See the chart to find out if you can currently receive the service.
For more information contact Jeremy Philippi on 01603 881892 or Jeremy.philippi@af-affinity.co.uk