Facts about broadband expansion in Skåne

It is SkåNet’s task to co-ordinate and monitor the expansion of a non-competitive digital infrastructure in the whole of Skåne.

The broadband network in Skåne consists of optic fibre – in total 24 fibre pairs are available, which gives a very high capacity. The length of the completed network is just over 2 000 km. By investing substantial resources in digital infrastructure to locations with over 200 inhabitants, resources are being freed up at other market players, which will enable them to invest in the access network. In total, over 280 locations in Skåne will be connected. In several cases the municipalities are providing supplementary services to the project so that even smaller locations can also be connected. There are also examples of associations that are providing their own supplementary service in rural areas.

Expansion is taking place in three phases

The first stage was started in 2003 and completed in 2004. This meant that all the main places in the municipalities are connected up, as well as over 50 other places. The second stage, which was started in autumn 2004, was more extensive. With the completion of this stage during autumn 2005, a total of 143 places in Skåne have been connected to the fibre network. The third and last stage of the project entails expanding the network to the remaining places. This was the most comprehensive stage in the project.

Checkpoints reduce the risks

The agreement between SkåNet, Region Skåne, the municipalities and Tele2 consists of five separate agreements. The principal agreement deals with the actual infrastructure and the development of the network connecting the locations together. This runs for a period of eight years, i.e. until and including 2011.

In addition to the principal agreement, the service networks of Region Skåne and the respective municipalities are regulated in a number of different agreements. There are also agreements that regulate Tele2’s obligation to deliver broadband to the end users, which is done in collaboration with Bredbandsbolaget.

The agreement incorporates a number of checkpoints. They are included in order to ensure that the expansion has proceeded according to plan and that the financing for the next stage has been secured before the stage is started. The risks for all the parties can be limited with the aid of the checkpoint.

Broadband to smaller locations and rural areas

SkåNet, on behalf of 24 municipalities in Skåne, is carrying out a new public procurement process for additional digital infrastructure. The purpose is to offer connection to smaller places and rural areas, with the aid of wireless broadband among other things. Skåne has already been allocated frequencies for wireless broadband, so-called FWA, by the Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency. Now 24 municipalities in Skåne are taking part in the process. Skåne is thereby one of the first to employ Wimax technology on a large scale.