FTTH://Grass roots initiative in the Netherlands

Planet Multimedia reports the launch of Stichting Glazenkamp (a pun on the Hazenkamp area of the city of Nijmegen and the Dutch word for fiber i.e. glas), a non-profit, supported by the city of Nijmegen, Radboud University and Surfnet.

So, no telco, no city, but a grass roots start-up.

The interesting parts of the story:

• Bit rates are very high, at an average of 94 Mbps.
• 28 Homes are connected and the target is 2500.
• The organisation claims its success depends less on scale than on concentration and social cohesion of the participants. There will be no call-centers but instead the inhabitants will take care of issues themselves. Full roll-out depends on at least 50% taking part.
• The network is open for service providers.
• It piggybacks on the TeleMANN network of Nijmegen's Radboud University, supplying fiber connections to students in a nearby area, which buried some extra ducts.