The Tendring Community Broadband trial finished on 30th September 2004. Looking back on the trial we had a significant number of problems that were not related to the technology that we were testing. This unfortunately delayed the trial but has provided valuable experience for a commercial operation.

The purpose of the trial was to test, in an European environment, similar technology to that which had been tested in the USA in Dallas, Texas. As the trial progressed it became apparent that this system needed considerable re-engineering if it was to operate in a European environment. From December 2003 onwards the trial partners carried out this re-engineering. The final trial system was a result of this joint development and was independent of the original US system.

This final trial system had the following capabilities:

• Two-way internet access at speeds of 2Mb/s to multiple locations
• This was achieved at distances up to 15Kms from Great Bromley
• With a more sophisticated antenna system at Great Bromley the system has the capability of providing a 2Mb/s two-way service at distances of up to 25Kms. Greater distances are theoretically possible but are generally impracticable due to the height at which it would be necessary to mount antennas on customer's premises
• During the course of the trial tests evaluations were made of differing types of equipment for installation at customer's premises. As a result of our experience we have been working closely with a major manufacturer to develop equipment specifically designed to work with the technology. This equipment is now deployed and operational.

A high-quality commercial service providing low-contention, symmetric wireless internet access at speeds of 2Mb/s, 1Mb/s and 512Kb/s within a 25Kms radius of Great Bromley is now available.

To find out more about this service see our FAQ page or contact the service provider KeConnect

The partners would like to thank all the trial participants and everyone who registered their interest. For our part the trial has been a technical success and we now have a large amount of data which we have used to launch a commercial service from Great Bromley. Unfortunately a combination of funding and operational constraints meant that it was not possible to involve as many people in the trial as we had originally anticipated and hoped.

Everyone who has registered will be contacted with details of the service that we are able to offer and you can also contact the service provider KeConnect Internet.