Rural fibre broadband project B4RN has said that no delays will be caused by a recent theft of specialist cable equipment.
Thieves made off with a number of items including a generator, a transformer and a device that uses pneumatics to drive fibre optic lines through ducts on the night of December 4.
The community has rallied around the the Lancashire-based project, which aims to connect hundreds of rural residents to a gigabit FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) broadband network.
Read Recombu Digital’s guide to B4RN and broadband cable theftFibre optic broadband manufacturer Emtelle has agreed to loan B4RN equipment in order to avoid delays in getting homes and businesses connected during the run up to Christmas.
BT’s Openreach network routinely suffers the attentions of thieves who want to make a quick buck by pulling copper out of the ground and selling it as scrap. A former BT employee was recently sentenced to four years in prison after orchestrating a string of robberies in London.
While there’s no copper to be found in B4RN’s network, the the total value of the stolen equipment is said to be in the region of £10-£15,000.
B4RN has released photos of the stolen equipment (above, click to enlarge) and is asking for people to come forwards with information to contact Ben Hanley PC3962 at Lancaster Police Station on 01524 596608 quoting Crime Reference BA1303993.
B4RN aims to connect over 2,000 properties to its fibre broadband network, which provides 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) download and upload speeds for £30/month plus a one-off £150 connection fee.
Image: woodleywonder-works/Flickr
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