Rala’s strategic planning capabilities will give the project more detail and quality, particularly when estimating financial costs for establishing a fibre network. This stems from the analytical tools and experience developed over the course of 15 years operating in Sweden.
Funding for the project has already been identified and is coming from a number of different sources including the state and other schemes acting to benefit the population. But neither Rala nor the project leaders themselves are willing to outline specifics.
“We are really proud to be delivering this project which is an important step forward for us, the project as well as a good showcase for others in the UK,” said Tobias Ahl, CEO of Rala. “It is a sign of the conditions currently facing fibre projects in the UK that both we and the project managers are unwilling to disclose exact details for fear of disruption to the project by the incumbent.”
Sweden, where Rala is one of the major network planners and deliverers, is one of the most advanced countries in Europe for fibre to the home (FTTH) with many different network owners and operators active. Rala has helped to design and implement more than 100 community network projects there and is a key supplier to the network builder and manager of TeliaSonera – Sweden’s incumbent.
Rala has identified that more than 60 percent of costs of network rollout are for putting ducts into the ground. Fast, accurate and detailed estimation and design is key to a successful project for any owner of infrastructure.
“Over time we have developed the technology and skills to enable exceptional accuracy at the planning stage. For this project in the North of the UK, and potentially others, we can by far reduce risk of failure, due to incorrect financial planning,” he added.