Fibrespeed Wales - presentation by Chris Smith from Geo - a practical solution to public investment when market forces fail - CBN/NextGen Roadshows 2009

1. FibreSpeed: a working
model for regional Next
Gen investment
Chris Smith
Commercial Director
chris.smith@geo-uk.net

2. Delivering broadband inclusion in Wales
Local Broadband Initiatives
Regional Innovative Broadband Support
Scheme (RIBS) – “notspots”
Super Fast Backbone
FibreSpeed – North Wales
Demand Aggregation
Public Sector Broadband Aggregation (PSBA)

3. FibreSpeed: the network
• Geo won a competitive
tender to build and
operate a 320km network
Manchester to Anglesey
• Funded by EU, WAG &
Geo
• Initial cost £30m over 15
years
• Build completed in 15
months: now live
• Code powers
• Wireless access
• An essential
infrastructure for Next
Gen broadband services

4. FibreSpeed: the business
• Open access network
• Service provider
channel model
• High speed data
services
• Brings infrastructure
competition to North
Wales
• First sales closed;
healthy sales pipeline
• Pricing benchmarked
to SE England End-User End-User End-User
• 14 business parks
• State aid compliant

5. The public/private partnership challenge
Proof of demand to
to attract private sector
partnership
shared risk and reward profile
Proof of market failure
to attract EU/UK public
sector funding

6. A commercial blueprint for digital inclusion
• Agreed cost and ROI Indicative Cash Flows
profiles over life time of
the deal
• Shared risk and reward
• Long term investment
15 to 20 years with exit
options Money
Y0 Y15
• SPV model
• SPV Ltd Regional SPV
• Supply partners Time
• Agile resource WAG Bidder

7. Geo
• Geo is a British company - launched in 2004
• Next Gen network solutions
• Newest networks across UK (3,000km); London (100km)
• Significant constructor of new duct & cable (20km/week)
• Unique and disruptive “open access” business model which
puts the full power of optical fibre in the customer’s hands:
• Design; Build; Operate; Commercialise
www.geo-uk.net