Dorset Council’s volunteer digital champion service is ten years old and to celebrate is holding a ‘get online’ roadshow. During national ‘Get Online’ week (16-20 October) the council’s volunteers will be manning stalls in Sherborne, Bridport, Wool and Wimborne and anyone needing help to navigate the digital world are urged to come along. The volunteer… Read more Ten years of getting Dorset online
A free training programme that has recruited an army of special advisors to help thousands of Dorset’s residents get online has scooped a prestigious national award. Dorset Council’s ‘Embedded Digital Champion’ initiative has won the acclaimed ‘Digital Skills’ title at the Connected Britain awards in London last night. The award recognises the feat of training… Read more Dorset Council digital skills training programme wins national award
An international team of digital innovators led by Dorset Council has secured millions in government and industry funding to develop the tech to power cheaper, greener mobile networks in future. The £7m Dorset Open Network Ecosystem (DONE) project will build on the connectivity work already undertaken by Dorset Council and partners through the multi-award winning… Read more Big name innovators to do ground-breaking work in Dorset
A rural school has been transported onto the ultrafast broadband highway thanks to Dorset Council’s ‘Fibre Hub Connectivity in Rural Dorset’ project. Stalbridge Primary School, near Sturminster Newton, is one of dozens of rural schools and community buildings being connected to some of the fastest internet speeds in the country. The council was awarded funding… Read more Rural school transported from the country lane to the ultrafast highway
An international delegation from Colombia visited Dorset recently to learn how digital connectivity can revolutionise rural economies. The South American dignitaries were invited to meet Dorset Council and learn from the success of the ground-breaking £9m 5G RuralDorset project. The visit was organised by one of the 5G RuralDorset’s private sector partners, the Satellite Applications… Read more Colombian delegation visits Dorset to discover how digital connectivity can transform rural economies
Dorset’s future as a place to do digital business will be showcased when local companies and industry leaders come to the Festival of the Future. They will be speaking at the at the Dorset Innovation Park in Winfrith on Wednesday 12 October, when the festival highlights the career opportunities in the digital sector. The event… Read more Festival to show Dorset is a place to do digital business
A project to demonstrate how digital can make towns more ‘smart’ places to live and work has been tested in Weymouth. The results of the test will be unveiled at this year’s Festival of the Future, the annual event run by Dorset Council, with special guest and renowned urban designer Wayne Hemingway. Spearheaded by the… Read more Weymouth demonstrates what the future might look like
Families in Ferndown will discover how digital can benefit their lives at a special event being hosted by Dorset Council next month. The Festival of the Future will be coming to The Centre in Tricketts Cross on 11 October, when the focus will be on the family. Volunteer digital champions will be on hand to… Read more Families in Ferndown to find out about their digital futures
From self-driving tractors to 5G connected buoys, the future of the countryside will be put under the spotlight at Dorset Council’s Festival of the Future. The festival will launch on Monday 10 October at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester when the focus will be on the innovation that’s set to revolutionise farming practices on land… Read more Festival to focus on the future of land management
Bridport residents and businesses can find out how digital technology can change their lives for the better at a special event next month. Dorset Council’s annual Festival of the Future will be in the town on 13 October to highlight the latest full fibre roll out plans in the area, the help available to get… Read more Bridport residents and businesses invited to discover the benefits of digital
Thousands of Dorset school children have taken part in the county’s first ever Coding Day. Organised by Dorset Council, BCP Council and Barclays Digital Eagles, Dorset Coding Day brought together 43 schools across the county, from Christchurch to Beaminster and from the north in Gillingham to the coast of Portland. In addition, 25 local tech… Read more Breaking the code to a successful digital future
A five-day festival will be staged at locations across Dorset next month to showcase the county’s exciting digital future. Dorset Council’s Festival of the Future is back for the third year running and it will be a hybrid event where people can attend in person or take part virtually. Held from 10-14 October, #FutureFest22 will… Read more Festival to showcase Dorset’s innovation and digital future
The multi-award winning 5G RuralDorset project has won more national recognition for its internationally ground-breaking work. Led by Dorset Council, the government funded research programme won more plaudits when it was highly commended in the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) awards in the Future Places category. Since it was launched in 2020, the 5G team and… Read more Ground-breaking 5G RuralDorset project wins more national recognition
Dorset’s first-ever live and interactive coding day for children will be held this September and schools across the county are being urged to take part. Held on 15 September during National Coding Week, the Dorset Coding Day is for children in years 5, 6 and 7 and aims to inspire future Bill Gateses and Ada… Read more Dorset’s first dedicated coding day for school children to be held this autumn
5G RuralDorset project partner JET Engineering System Solutions has successfully deployed and demonstrated a live streaming underwater 4K camera on one of its 5G connected buoys. Read more here
Dorset Council has been awarded £20,000 towards developing a pilot training programme for fibre engineers and help boost broadband provision in the county. Nationally 63% of premises now have gigabit capable broadband whereas in Dorset the figure is just 15%. One of the factors affecting this is a lack of fully trained fibre engineers. It is estimated in Dorset… Read more Engineering a solution to help bridge Dorset’s digital divide
A five-day festival will be staged at locations across Dorset next month to showcase the county’s exciting digital future. Dorset Council’s Festival of the Future is back – and this time it’s a truly hybrid event where people can attend in person or take part virtually. Held from 4-8 October, #FutureFest21 will highlight the innovation… Read more Festival to showcase Dorset’s digital future
Dozens of adults in the Bournemouth area have been ‘Bourne again’ thanks to a life-changing digital training course. The Bourne Digital course was part of a pioneering national programme called Power Up, run by the Good Things Foundation charity and funded by JP Morgan. Locally, the project loaned devices and provided 12 weeks of training… Read more Bourne again – digital transforms people’s lives
Minister for Digital Infrastructure Matt Warman MP today visited the 5G RuralDorset project and took a tour of the locations and use cases that make up the DCMS backed research project. Read the full story here
Dorset Council and local parishes are calling for more national action to ensure the county’s most rural areas do not get left behind in the digital age. The authorities were responding to the government’s ‘call for evidence’ on how ‘very hard to reach’ areas cannot access good broadband. Although 96% of Dorset can get superfast… Read more Dorset calls for more government action to bring better broadband to remote rural areas
Emergency services will be able to respond faster to casualties in need as they are ‘brought into the 21st century’ with new 5G connectivity. Read more here
5G RuralDorset today announced a new project expansion to monitor land stability and cliff movement at key points along the Jurassic Coast. Read more here
When profoundly Deaf Bridport resident John Phillips received a free smartphone from Dorset Council, he had no idea just how much it would transform his life. The 76-year-old received the gift on Christmas Eve, as part of the council’s drive to help digitally connect people in need during lockdown. By then John, whose only method… Read more Smartphone gift saves John from a lonely lockdown
Dorset residents can once again get face-to-face advice on any digital queries such as setting up and using devices including phones, tablets and PCs. Digital champions have started to return to Dorset libraries to help people who are struggling to get online. Meanwhile the Digital Hotline will keep running to help people who can’t get… Read more Digital champions return to face-to-face advice sessions
JET Engineering System Solutions Ltd today announced the signing of a contract with Dorset Council to deliver a reduced carbon-footprint Aquaculture Monitoring System, made from sustainable materials and harnessing 5G network connectivity, for Jurassic Seafarms Ltd in Portland Harbour, Dorset, UK. Read the full release here
Minister for Digital Infrastructure, Matt Warman today announced a new relationship with wireless technology company Qualcomm Technologies Inc., working with the DCMS 5G Test-beds and Trials Programme.
A special hotline set up to help people with digital enquiries has seen the number of calls it receives almost triple during this latest lockdown. From January 5 to February 5, the Dorset Digital Hotline received 132 calls – its biggest ever monthly total and nearly three times the average monthly calls it received in… Read more Calls to Dorset Digital Hotline almost triple during lockdown
Small Robot Company, Wessex Internet, Telint and Dorset Council partner to deliver step-change in rural connectivity and agricultural productivity Read more on the 5G RuralDorset website
A project to digitally connect some of the county’s most clinically vulnerable residents during lockdown is being trialled in Dorset. Dorset Council has teamed up with social day care providers to issue digital devices to 30 residents, to enable them to take part in virtual one-to-ones with carers and attend online day centre activities. If… Read more Digitally connecting Dorset’s most vulnerable residents during lockdown
