Gelderland starts pilot projects on open networks

The Dutch province of Gelderland is starting a number of pilot projects aimed at stimulating the creation of open networks. The local government sees benefits in open networks for both households and businesses, such as improved services delivery, remote healthcare and education services and mobility advantages. The province is working with the private sector and a number of municipalities on the project. It hopes to evaluate the results in the autumn in order to make a proposal for bringing digital services to all residents and businesses in Gelderland. The four pilot projects are in Harderwijk, Arnhem-Nijmegen, Bronckhorst-Berkelland and Buren.

• Harderwijk. This project focuses on how to bring concrete services to a number of socially relevant sectors, such as health and education. 
• Arnhem-Nijmegen region. The existing fibre rings for education and healthcare in Nijmegen and Arnhem will be connected. The project will focus on experiences developing services for the non-profit sector. 
• Bronckhorst-Berkelland . The project will involve around 1,500 households in remote areas of the municipality as well as a few business parks. The focus is on the financial cost of bringing fibre to outlying areas. 
• Buren. Business parks and a few hundred households in outlying areas will be connected to a broadband network. The project will look at the benefits broadband can bring to SMEs.