Dirk VAN DER WOUDE
Responsible for ICT Strategy & Policy
City of Amsterdam

WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS - 22, november 2005
The Very High Speed Challenge

Dirk van der Woude manages the municipal broadband program of Amsterdam, started in 1999.
Amsterdam recognizes the necessity of an open and future proof broad network as an essential precondition for sustainable and competitive economy and society. In the broadband program services were developed and experimented within the Cyburg project. It enhanced the awareness of broadband and its possibilities and delivered viable projects as well. The municipal efforts to get the market to deploy a citywide and future proof network did not succceed. Hence the city has decided to start its own program. In transparant European Tenders partners were found. Starting 2006 the first 10% addresses of the City will be connected to an FttH network. The city will be a minority shareholder of only the passive network; apart from guarateeing the openness of the network thew city will not be involved in service delivery nor will it have any influence on pricing. In close cooperation with FabChannel.com Amsterdam supports a project in which all theaters, including the Concertgebouw, near the Leidseplein area will be connected to fiber. Thus they at begin 20006 will start to broadcast theater, music, dance and debates. Next to this the city is now preparing to connect all schools to (fiber) broadband.Dirk van der Woude (1955) studied management sciences and Sociology in Amsterdam and Utrecht.

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