Fibre optic network in Luthern – a backbone for digitalisation

/ Good Practices / Fibre optic network in Luthern – a backbone for digitalisation
REGION LUZERN WEST, Switzerland

Smart Economy

With a fiber-optic network, bandwidths of at least 500 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s or more are offered area-wide. These bandwidths are necessary for the increased use of streaming, IP telephony, smart home applications, homeoffice, etc. in the future and enable fast data exchange. Thus, fast Internet is the prerequisite for new forms of work, the data traffic of companies, including farms, the exchange of trainees with their educational institutions, and much more.

The major Swiss telecommunications companies limit fiber optic network expansion to densely populated areas; rural areas are neglected. Likewise, they do not run the fiber optic network into the buildings, but only into the street, which does not cover the "last mile". Therefore, the local council has proposed to the population the independent construction of an area-wide fiber optic network in Luthertal. The project with the extraordinary credit of 3.6 million Swiss francs and the regulations "Fiber optics for all" was approved by the voters of Luthern with a large majority on May 17, 2020. Start of construction for the glass fiber network November 2020. The construction is divided into six stages.
Applicable in rural, non-city areas
Municipality
Youth, Elderly, Students, Active Working People
April 2019 - ongoing (estimated end: 2022)

Implementation

Key Conditions for Success

Full development, Solidarity principle, Freedom of choice

Key Steps for Activity Implementation

Transparency, communication with the population, perseverance, good preparation

Difficulties Encountered

Negotiations with potential partners

Additional Information

-

Resources Needed

First, a feasibility study was carried out. In order to implement the project, it was then important that the population backed this decision. The credit had to be decided at the ballot box. For this purpose, information events were held beforehand, financing possibilities were worked out, negotiations with partners were held, etc. After the vote in the ballot box, the detailed construction planning and construction began.

Would you like to know more?

Visit the project website for more details or contact the author.

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Organisation: REGION LUZERN WEST

Alexander Siegenthaler