EoW November 2008

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EuroWire – November 2008 9
Amsterdam gets fibre
to the houseboat
Houseboat owners can now enjoy
superfast broadband speeds by
connecting to Amsterdam’s CityNet, a
citywide fibre optic communications
network.
A new type of robust optical connector
has been developed, inspired by military
technology, which allows houseboats
to physically connect to the network
upon mooring and disconnect whenever
a trip is necessary.
Amsterdam began the construction
of a citywide, fibre optic network in
2006. Phase one of the CityNet project,
which covers 40,000 households, will be
completed on target this year.
A contract partner since participating
in the open tender in 2006,
Draka Communications, together with
local Dutch company Van der Berg,
proposed a solution for Citynet based
upon a Fibre to the Home (FTTH)
concept specifically developed for city
environment applications.
“I now have ultra-fast Internet, television
and telephone connection through
a single cable,” says Olivier Ax, owner
of the first connected houseboat.
Draka Holdings NV – The Netherlands
Fax: +31 2056 89899
Email:
Website :
The well connected houseboat owner – Olivier Ax of Amsterdam ▲ ▲
A charity supporting orphans and needy people around the
world is preparing to build a new facility in Eastern Europe –
with help from cable management specialist Marshall-Tufflex.
The UK manufacturer, based in Hastings, has supplied the
International Aid Trust (IAT) with a consignment of cable
management products to help it fit out New Hope, a 90-bed
property near the Black Sea coast, about 40 minutes from
Odessa in the Ukraine.
When completed next year, New Hope will operate as a
holiday home for children from orphanages throughout
the Ukraine, Belarus and Romania. During their stay the
youngsters will also be offered charity-funded medical and
dental treatment.
“The Ukraine, in common with many Eastern European
countries, has many thousands of orphans and hugely
disadvantaged young people, so we were more than happy to
help out,” said Marshall-Tufflex managing director Jim Fletcher.
“IAT contacted us with details of the project and what it
hoped to achieve by developing this new facility. Not only
will it give youngsters a break, it will also provide vital health
care treatment, given that the Ukraine has no effective
state-funded health service.”
Marshall-Tufflex – UK
Fax: +44 1424 856666
Email:
Website :
British helping hand to international charity
english corporate news