1 STOKAB THE FOUNDATION FOR IT IN STOCKHOLM
This is Stokab Stokab leases fibre optic networks that telecom operators, businesses, local authorities and organisations use for digital communications. Leasing agreements are structured on favorable terms to encourage IT development and strong growth in the Stockholm region. In addition to fibre optics, Stokab provides space in nodes/hubs where customers can install communication equipment needed to connect their own networks to others networks. Flexible business solutions Fibre optics can be leased individually in various packages designed to support customers specific requirements. Our published prices can be reduced based on volume, calculated in Swedish kronor, and contract length. Customers can also opt to lease equipment at a price based on the distance between two addresses, or a fixed price for connections within a given area. Service Level Agreements (SLA) and redundancy are offered with leases of all connections across the entire network. An independent actor Stokab is owned by Stockholm City Council, and is an independent actor that provides passive infrastructure in the form of optical fibres that do not have active termination equipment, known as dark fibre. Since we started in 1994, the goal of the company has been to build a competition-neutral infrastructure capable of meeting future communication needs, spur economic activity, diversity and freedom of choice, as well as minimising disruption to the city s streets. Unlimited capacity Fibre optics is an optical system for transferring light. Its unique characteristics make it ideal to all types of digital communication such as computer traffic, TV and telephony. An optical fibre is lighter than a strand of hair, and can transmit millions of phone calls or hundreds of TV channels simultaneously. With high capacity digital communication becoming so important to companies and individuals a readily available, powerful and robust IT infrastructure is needed everywhere and around the clock. Blidö Ljusterö Svartsjö Möja Stavsnäs Sandhamn Nämndö The network stretches from Norrtälje to Nynäshamn and covers large areas of Stockholm, as well as a large number of offices and business centres in the region. Stokab also offers fibre optic connections from and to networks in Enköping, Västerås, Eskilstuna, Strängnäs and Södertälje, and to several islands in the Stockholm archipelago. Utö Dalarö Ornö Askö 2
Stokab s network stretches the equivalent of 30 times around the Earth, with 1.25 million kilometres of fibre optics, 5,500 kilometres of cabling, 600 cross connect switches and more than 15,000 connectors. 3
Flexible products that make business easier Stokab offers all customers who hire optical fibre connections competitive terms through a variety of product packages and business models. Customers receive new, exclusive access rights to a connection, or an entire network structure so that doing business becomes easier and more cost effective. Straightforward pricing Stokab Point to Point provides exclusive access rights to an optical fibre connection between two points. Equipment used for the fibre link determines transmission capacity. The rental amount is always calculated by measuring the shortest distance between two points. Multi-faceted products at fixed-prices Stokab Ring and Stokab Star offer our retainer customers a price level that makes purchasing easier, as well as contributing to quicker decision making by third parties. These products combination possibilities create an affordable and structured background on which our customers can grow. The rental amount is fixed, regardless of the distance between locations. Enhanced availability from a single point Stokab Hub Connection A-nod, and Stokab Single Connection Business, consists of single fibre to multifamily residences whether or not commercial activities are conducted on the property. This business model / these products are primarily designed for service operators and make it possible via connection nodes to reach even more end-customers in Stockholm. Simplified management in a dependable environment Stokab s connection nodes are specially designed, reliable areas in optimised environments offering a high degree of security. By installing active equipment in connection nodes outside properties, servicing is made easier and overflow is reduced. Four options at fixed prices Our Fixed Price Greater City business model we offer our retainer customers a fixed price and a well-defined network structure. The network created in this model can be completed with four types of connections to a property. Customers can choose between single fibres, individually or to entire properties each option comes at a fixed price. A meeting place in a secure environment Stokab s Hub-point places customers and their equipment in the right environment with a high degree of security. Hubs also incorporate a place from which customers can establish contact with other companies in the Stockholm area. Stokab has several hubs, strategically placed across the region. A number of companies are connected, including service operators, banks, IT, healthcare and media businesses, as well as councils and local authorities. Other city networks are also connected which makes it possible to contact companies both in the Stockholm area and the rest of the country. Service levels and discounts We have three SLAs to choose from, depending on end-customers needs. All leasing agreements are discounted according to volume and contract length, and for higher security applications, we also offer redundancy connections. 4
Regardless of sector, Stokab offers tailored solutions on the best possible terms with end- customers that are user-friendly, cost effective and result-orientated. We have service and coverage around the clock, all year round and our network structure makes it possible to change connections, for example in the event of power cuts. 5
Fibre networks enable business More than 800 customers use Stokab s fibre networks to do business. These clients are drawn from a variety of sectors with different network infrastructure and IT solution requirements. Stokab s network is therefore designed to enable customers themselves create their own network structure. Stokab leases dark fibre, fibre without active equipment. fibre without active equipment. This gives customers total freedom to create their own applications to suit their specific business models. Together with customers, we optimise network structures for their individual requirements. Adaptable customer solutions Through Stokab s network, we supply some 100 operators and service providers with, amongst other services, Internet, TV and telephony. Regardless of your business model, Stokab s product range allows you to reach end-customers easily and cost effectively. Freedom of choice with your own fibre connection Companies that need high capacity, and who are looking for effective, secure data communication lease their own fibre connection from Stokab. By taking responsibility for communication themselves, customers improve cost efficiency and enjoy full control. This makes it easier to influence their own data transfer and communication equipment requirements. Guaranteed IT infrastructure in the public sector The need to develop new technologies in the public sector continues to grow. By connecting data communications, telephony and TV, processes are streamlined and simplified, and communication with inhabitants is also improved. The possibility to lease connectivity from Stokab ensures a secure and powerful IT infrastructure for all public sector entities, for example hospitals, schools and local authorities. Increased property value and attractive living The sustained expansion of households need for fast communication and continuous connectivity continues to drive demand for improved bandwidth. This in turn increases demand for a powerful and future-proof IT infrastructure. Stokab has therefore extended its network so that it reaches virtually all multi-family residences in Stockholm. A connection to Stokab s open fibre network allows property owners to rationalise running and maintaining of key services (such as heating, electricity and water metering, CCTV and security systems). If a property owner also installs an internal fibre network, tenants increased demand for Internet, telephony and TV from different service providers can also be met. 6
7 Telecom operators, commercial companies or public sector entities regardless of sector, fibre networks allow customers to design their own network structure depending on their needs and business model.
Secure, sustainable IT With a well-built and secure fibre network with over 600 nodes, our network is robust and flexible. This enables our customers to more easily design and maintain their networks securely and sustainably. Security around the network and nodes is sound and our customer service is available around the clock, every day of the year. With a powerful network and reliable operations, our customers can feel confident to conduct business and in their dealings with end-customers. Improved security with CCTV Security is an integral element of a company s overall operations. We are constantly working to improve security at all our facilities, for example, we have installed security cameras at node areas. This, in combination with the automated handling of physical keys, streamlines procedures and contributes to reduced travel. Our customers provide schools with heat Customers who place their equipment in our newest hub actively contribute to heating a large part of Östra Real High School. Heat from equipment in the hub is converted, by a heat exchanger, in the school s heating system. By using heat and generating cool air, the service life of the hub s cooling system is extended and operating costs are reduced. This climate-smart facility is held up as an example and has been praised nationally and internationally. Our own environmental contribution Stokab s environmental work is designed to reduce the environmental impact of our activities. Ways in which we achieve our environmental goals include, whenever is practicably possible, using green vehicles, handling materials so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit environmental impact, and disposing of waste as sustainably as possible. We buy only environmentally friendly electricity; and we use green vehicles, bikes and public transport for business travel. We use videoconferencing and energy efficiency measures are taken on a continuous basis. Environmental demands on our partners Beyond our own activities, in procurement processes, we demand that contractors and consultants have strategic environmental programmes in place. Those bidding for contracts must have an environmental management system and any subcontractors must also fulfill our environmental requirements. Stokab: the environmentally friendly option In addition to optical fibre being an environmentally friendly product, Stokab s entire concept is to reduce environmental impact. One way we do this is by only once digging up streets to lay sufficient fibre so that everyone can have access to the connectivity they need without having to dig up the street themselves. 8
Stokab works systematically with security and sustainability issues, both internally and externally. By continually improving security measures, we build peace of mind for our customers. And by working strategically with sustainability, we limit environmental impact in Stockholm. 9
Stokab the foundation for IT in Stockholm Stokab s fibre network has established the foundation for IT in Stockholm. It delivers business benefits to our customers, boosts competition, increases diversity and freedom of choice. The network encourages innovation, employment, improved ways of working and opportunities to develop sustainable solutions. That IT infrastructure should be everywhere and available to all on the same terms has been Stockholm City Council s vision since the deregulation of the telecommunications market at the start of the 90s. So Stockholm has successively, according to market demand through Stokab, expanded an operator-neutral fibre network. With fibre that would stretch the equivalent of more than 30 times around the Earth, Stockholm has the world s largest open fibre optic network. Affordable broadband Because operators are able to lease fibre optic infrastructure from a neutral actor such as Stokab, the barrier to entry in Stockholm is low. Today, there are more than 100 operators active in the city. This has resulted in an almost halving of the price of broadband compared to the rest of Sweden, where prices are already low compared to the international market. Broadband that creates employment opportunities For many years, it has been knowledge-intensive companies that have created the bulk of new job opportunities. A fundamental prerequisite for these businesses has been access to a highly developed, robust and reliable broadband network for both companies and their employees. Stockholm is considered to be one of the world s best cities for broadband quality, for connecting schools to the Internet and for exploiting the full potential IT offers. Fibre innovations With unlimited access to so-called dark fibre, an entirely new, innovative way of working has been established. By connecting TV cameras directly to a fibre optic connection for outside broadcasts, neither support vehicles nor satellite broadcasting is needed. This means that TV programmes can be produced in much higher quality at far lower cost, in an environmentally responsible way. Socioeconomic benefits A research report has concluded that Stokab s fibre network has resulted in socioeconomic benefits amounting to at least SEK 16 billion. The network has, amongst other things, kept broadband prices low and increased property values, created job opportunities, enabled the expansion of the 4G/IT mobile network and reduced data and telecommunication costs for councils and local authorities: all this and more without public subsidies. The smart city Thanks to our fibre networks, there are many opportunities for environmentally friendly IT solutions in Stockholm. High-speed broadband in the network enables distance working, planning and optimisation of travel, and use of streamed media such as film, music and books. The network is also the framework for a smart city with e-services, the collection and use of big data, the possibility of using resource pools, for example car pooling and controlling energy smart systems for housing. 10
Access to high bandwidth fibres increases the capacity for logistics and transport optimisation, traffic control and information in real-time, as well as energy smart control of housing. It also creates job opportunities and makes remote working possible. 11
Stokab Tulegatan 11, Box 6813, SE-113 86 Stockholm Tel: +46 (0) 8 508 30 200 Fax: +46 (0) 8 508 30 210 info@stokab.se stokab.se 12