The CORA partners (COnnecting Remote Areas with digital infrastructure and services) met in Denmark from March 20 to 22, 2019 to discuss the progress of the pilot activities and the project status and to take part in study visits to Vejle and Middelfart. Project implementation is proceeding according to plan. The pilot activities in the partner regions are already being implemented and many of them will be implemented in 2019. In addition, several CORA training courses are already available online, with more to come.
The site visit to Føns, a municipality in Middelfart Kommune, provided interesting insights into the expansion of the local broadband network. An extensive bottom-up initiative with many motivated volunteers led to a needs analysis in the municipality and resulted in the successful expansion of a broadband network by a commercial operator. The expansion in Føns was not considered economically viable for a long time. Together, the community residents were able to convince the provider that a broadband expansion was worthwhile.
The CORA partners continued discussions about pilot activities at the Spinderihallerne in Vejle. In the former cotton mill, creativity and entrepreneurship mix with old traditions. The site is used by start-ups, creative companies and the local museum.
The CORA project’s mobile digital hub, which is housed in a bus, also visited Vejle. The CORA partners had the opportunity to explore the available devices and technologies. The mobile hub enables residents in the rural areas of the Danish regions of Nord and Syddjur to familiarise themselves with the new digital technologies.
During the visit to the digital hub in the local library in Give, the partners were given an insight into the comprehensive tasks of public libraries and their importance for the digitisation process and access to knowledge. At the digital hub in Give, citizens can familiarise themselves with new technologies and take their first steps in using digital products and infrastructures. There is a 3D printer here, for example, and 3D gaming and software planning interfaces are available for testing and learning.
The CORA partners also visited a production facility for fiber optic pipes at GM Plast near Vejle. They learned about the latest technological developments in the field of cost-effective and future-proof broadband technologies. GM Plast manufactures plastic pipes and cables for the expansion of fiber optic broadband infrastructure. Local entrepreneurship, innovative thinking and the rapid implementation of ideas into new products and services are the key success factors for the company. The CORA partners learned on site how important the courage to innovate, thorough planning and consideration of maintenance, repair and modernisation costs are for digital infrastructure projects.
The next CORA meeting will take place in Norway from May 22 to 24, 2019.
