Change/ terminate RBC (E2BN)?

[bertster]

One of my primary schools is considering terminating their contract with E2BN (RBC) due to various reasons. However we need to establish if there is a better and viable option. We are paying approx 4K a year for a 2 - 4mb/s feed into school.

 

I am wondering if other schools have moved away from a RBC an if so what solution did you go for?

 

Thanks

[simon_e2bn]

For the record schools don't have direct contracts with E2BN for internet connectivity. Their parent Local Authority will be a member of E2BN and will make decisions on what connectivity they will take ie full internet access or just access to the E2BN core and the National Education Network. The E2BN network terminates at the Local Authority and the LEA will generally connect schools to this via a schools wide area network.

 

Schools opting out of LEA connections have the option of connecting directly to E2BN but this will usually be prohibitively expensive with the current topology as the E2BN is a star network so all direct connections would have to be "long lined" to London.

 

Only RBCs offer connection to the National Education Network and some resources are only freely available via this route.

[SimpleSi]

Only RBCs offer connection to the National Education Network and some resources are only freely available via this route.

 

I've been working in IT Education for 7 years and I've seen nothing ever appear that requires access to the so called, invisibile NEN but I've seen this statement used many times to stop schools leaving the clutches of their RBC.

 

Its just a smokescreen but works remarkablly well in influencing school headteachers and therefore has to be given full credit for that.

 

regards

 

Simon

 

PS But nice to see someone from THEM put their heads above the parapets as it relieves the pressure as we can have a bit of target shooting

[simon_e2bn]

Ok here's two examples.

 

Audio Network is one example of a resource only available free via the NEN, the other is the free downloads of high-res images from the archives at British Pathe Limited

 

Regards

[tom_newton]

Co leeds-dwellers xrio are apparently the d's b's when it comes to bonding dsl. Keep meaning to rock up on their doorstep and say hi... maybe when I get back from Africa.

 

Internet Load Balancing Router | Balance Bonded ADSL Link Bonding VPN Dual WAN Routers Bandwidth Management and Aggregation

[SimpleSi]

Ok here's two examples.

 

Audio Network is one example of a resource only available free via the NEN, the other is the free downloads of high-res images from the archives at British Pathe Limited

 

Wow

 

Lets have a list of all the things we can't have because we are connected to an RBC.

 

(or the cost of the "service", or the lack of a negoitated SLA or.....)

 

regards

 

Simon

PS you've been shot - please play the game and lie down - you can join in again when we next play

 

PPS If of course EBN2 is an example of the way forward then please feel free to corrrect my mistaken impression that all RBCs are the same (or actually worse than what I've got)