NextGen Challenge – the UK’s annual competition for broadband network innovation, today announced the finalists ahead of the awards presentation in early October.

The awards evening will take place during the Nextgen12 conference at the House of Commons Member’s Dining Room, London on 8 October. The trophies presented by judges Chi Onwurah MP and David Harrington - Head Regulatory Affairs CMA whilst The Earl of Erroll and Lord Inglewood will address delegates at the dinner.


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The competition was open to all project and community leaders and suppliers who were able to demonstrate the best in next generation digital infrastructure in the categories below.  It is independently judged and not biased towards any specific technology choices.

Chi Onwurah MP, was on the 2012 judging panel, and welcomed the submission of “Great innovative projects from across the country”.

Entries this year ranged in scope from schemes that have brought broadband to remote Hebrideanian islands and the Highlands of Scotland, to projects in London for Westminster City Council and the Wembley City development.

Details of the Finalists in each of the four award categories are listed below.

The Finalist entries will also be featured at the NextGen12 Conference and exhibition in Church House Conference Centre, Westminster on 8 and 9 October.

For further information about NextGen12 visit http://www.nextgenevents.co.uk.

NextGen Challenge 2012 – shortlisted Finalists

Rural leadership and community development

Broadband not-spots eliminated in rural East Yorkshire (KC)
Committed to ending the digital divide between rural and urban Britain, KC eliminated all of the broadband not-spots - where download speeds were less than 2Mbps - three years before the Government's 2015 target for this achievement.

Hereford marrying the Medieval with the 21st century (Cambium Networks and Allpay Broadband)
Using church towers and spires to bring wireless broadband to communities in every parish in the Diocese of Hereford.

Woolage Green (vfast internet)
Targeting a local 'broadband not-spot' in the parish of Womenswold, Kent with an innovative use of wind and solar power to bring next-generation broadband to remote rural communities.

St Brides gets broadband boost (Spectrum Internet)
Seven miles from Cardiff and Newport, broadband speeds in the St Brides community have been boosted and, after visiting the village, Welsh Government Minister Edwina Hart was inspired to extend grant support for many other digitally disadvantaged villages.

Rothbury Community Broadband (GreySky Consulting)
Deep in the heart of Northumberland, Rothbury is fair trot from Morpeth or Alnwick and it shows in the relatively poor local broadband performance - but this project will reverse decades of digital disadvantage.

Revitalising Highlands and Islands (HebNet CIC)
The UK's geographically largest rural broadband network, HebNet, now connects Eigg, Muck, Rum, Canna and the Knoydart peninsula – restoring growth to their local economies.

Innovative funding solutions

Enriching Edinburgh (Almond Networks)
Designed to serve 30,000 residents and Edinburgh City Airport this project charts progress in the race to raise funds for a faster digital future and a smarter, healthier, economy.

‘By the community, for the community’ (B4RN)
Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) is a community enterprise addressing broadband needs in parishes to the east of Lancaster by using fibre to properties and a great deal of local support.

Fibre to the People (Cotswolds Broadband)
Raising funds for an innovative broadband scheme that will future-proof the service to people, businesses and communities in and around West Oxfordshire.

The Road to Better Broadband (Broadway Partners)
Working with the North Dorset Trailway, South Hams Broadband in Devon and Cotswolds Broadband in West Oxfordshire, to pioneer fresh approaches to funding by making good use of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and local investors.

Collaborative Advantage

Ultrafast in Appleton & Eaton (Gigaclear)
Working collaboratively with a local broadband group, the parish council and the County, Gigaclear has delivered Gigabit Internet to over 400 homes and businesses in these rural Oxfordshire villages.

Connected and Transformed (CityFibre)
By integrating their separate administration, health, libraries and education networks, the City of York Council not only transformed services and saved money, but also created the backbone for a city-wide Fibre to the Home network that will position the city as the Digital Infrastructure Capital of the North.

Connecting the County (Northamptonshire County Council)
Inspiring and encouraging local communities to enable the provision of high capacity broadband with the assistance of grants from DEFRA's Rural Community Broadband Fund.

The Next Generation arrives at Wembley City (Magnet Networks)
Embedding broadband as an essential utility in the design of the Wembley City development has not only enabled hundreds of new jobs but is seen as an exemplar for economic and social regeneration throughout the UK.

Free Metro Wi-Fi in Westminster (City of Westminster)
Recognising the ability of local Government to create a successful partnership with a major mobile operator to offer City-wide free Wi-Fi at no cost to the Council, benefiting both those who work in and those that visit key Westminster locations including the West End.

Urban Network Enterprise

B-Open (Bristol City Council)
Bristol City Council was already ahead of the game in 2004 and now, by extending its already extensive network to provide free WiFi into public spaces, it is showing Local Authorities throughout the UK the economic and societal benefits of integrating a range of public service networks.

Broadband at Brooklands (INFL)
In the design of the Brooklands development of Eastern Milton Keynes, Places for People took the decision to deliver a future-proof fully-fibred broadband network that will eventually serve 2,500 homes, schools, shops and leisure facilities.

Hyper-fast living and working in London (Hyperoptic)
Hyperoptic works with freeholders, developers, property managers and residents to bring Gigabit broadband services to residential and business developments, providing an unrivalled connection that increases the attractiveness of each property.

Advanced management for an advanced island (Netadmin Systems)
Making Jersey the best-connected island of fibre, Netadmin, the market leader for network management systems, is designing an advanced and flexible management system.