For the past 15 years, Bristol Wireless has been a social enterprise working to bring connectivity, computers and digital citizenship to everyone.

However, recent developments in the availability and cost of faster broadband have meant that we’ve found it harder to compete. These changes are compounded by changes in attitudes towards networking and cloud-based services. These developments and changes mean that the fixed IP and local networking services in which we’ve specialised are becoming less of a priority for organisations.

Furthermore, the rise of 4G mobile technology has resulted in reduced reliance on fixed broadband and home phones. One consequence of this is that fewer people are interested in networking in general. All these factors have prompted us to consider a change of direction for Bristol Wireless We’ve built up an impressive infrastructure over the years and wish to see it continue to be put to good use.

The answer we’ve come up is that we now intend to put to use as a LoRaWAN/IoT backbone for Bristol. To achieve this, we’ll be working with the UWE, High Tech Bristol & Bath, Bristol Hackspace and Watershed to take project forward in new and exciting directions.