THE LIVERPOOL FIBRE LOOP
World Class Infrastructure for a World Class City
Background
Liverpool has long suffered from investment into infrastructure, especially in communications. In 2016, we objected to the proposed sale of the existing fibre infrastructure that was installed in the city centre in the early 90’s and started a petition to prevent this, in which Liverpool City council appear to have halted.
Since then, we’ve been busy with our team of volunteers building our own fibre loop around Liverpool along with the plan that the council will allow us to use the 172KM of existing network to join the Liverpool Fibre Loop one day.
Our Vision
Our Vision is simple: to connect every home and business within the Liverpool Community Region to an open access fibre optic service. Starting at a speed of 100 Gbps, this fibre ring will:
- Create an open marketplace allowing any internet provider anywhere in the world to provide services to any building within the region without installing additional infrastructure
- Allow any building owner, tenant or home owner to access services from any internet provider anywhere in the world and at unlimited internet speeds, restricted only by their Internet service provider
- Encourage competition and better customer service as providers all compete on a “level playing field”
- Bring content providers together to deliver a richer internet experience to end users, such as Facebook, Google, Twitter and Netflix by working together at the Liverpool Internet Exchange and “caching” (storing) content within the region
- Enable local organisations to connect offices and departments across the region together at very low costs
- Enabling homeworkers to work with high speeds and without interruptions and slow downs, improving productivity
- Lower the cost for rolling out major infrastructure projects such as Mobile 5G, Internet of Things network and the connecting up of public highway assets for education, research, driver-less transport, automation and the sharing of open data to help the region develop
We’ve already made a great start. Working with our members, our successes so far include:
The Baltic Loop – Launched in 2016, it is a 10 Gbps fibre loop around the Baltic Triangle that connects key buildings such as the IX Liverpool Internet Exchange, Baltic Creative Campus, The Queens Dock Business Centre, Borden properties Watkinson street development and Blundell St properties and has liberated hundreds of businesses with Ultra-Fast internet while providing free WI-FI throughout the Baltic Triangle
The Fabric Loop – Launched in 2017 – it is a 10 Gbps fibre loop around the newly created and self-styled Fabric District (off London Road) that connects key buildings and business such as The Tapestry, DoEs Liverpool, The Fashion Hub, 67 Kempston Street, 72 Kempston Street, the Power And Fitness Gym and several other properties along London road, as well as providing Ultra Fast free WIFI on the streets of the Fabric District.
The Lime Street Loop – Launched in 2018, it is a 10 Gpbs fibre loop around the Lime St/Renshaw St area that connects the Training Plus Merseyside Building, Bold St and parts of Liverpool One and planned for 2019 is the former Lewis’s building, St Lukes Church (Bombed out Church) as well as Hardman St, Hope St, Rodney St and surrounding streets with a further expansion planned into the Slater St and Seel st area, as well as providing Ultra Fast Wi-Fi on Lime St and Renshaw St.
The Everton and Vauxhall Loop – Launching in November 2018, this latest expansion of the network begins from the new Ten Streets project along the Dock Road (where the regeneration has already started with the Titanic Hotel, Recording Studios, various music venues and a makerspace) to the far east side of Everton Valley and also includes Commercial Road, Blackstock St & the Pumpfields areas as well as a planned expansion into the Project Jennifer development on Great Homer Street/Scotland Road.
The Wirral Loop – Launching in Christmas 2018, this 10 Gbps loop starts in Birkenhead and is planned to connect up several strategic buildings to begin with, with the long term vision of connecting up 100% of homes and businesses by 2022.
The Liverpool Things Network – In 2016, we’ve helped setup this Internet of Things Network by installing a number of LoRAWAN gateways at key points around the city that connect sensors, systems, devices and help usher in automation across the region.
In the Future, we are also planning the following areas:
- Speke and Halewood and Halton Loop
- Sefton Loop (Southport, Formby, Crosby, Bootle)
- Knowsley and Kirby Loop
- St Helens Loop