Hundreds of households in Overijssel get internet via radio connection

The mast for Project Marconi in the outskirts of Overijssel was taken into use on Thursday. The mast provides internet via a radio link to residents of Holtheme and Vilsterborg.

The mast is centrally located in the region around Holtheme and Vilsterborg. Parts of the countryside in Overijssel have fiberglass, but that was not an option in the villages and surroundings concerned. The construction would be too expensive, partly because a canal and a railway are in the way, writes RTV Oost.

At the end of last year, the Province of Overijssel, the municipality of Hardenberg, Cogas and the company Qonnected decided to carry out a test with a radio link under the name Project Marconi. A point-to-point connection between two masts supplies the signal. Households can be connected to this, which will then receive telephony, TV and internet. Under the brand name Onvi, Qonnected offers subscriptions with download and upload speeds of 30Mbit/s and 50Mbit/s for 54 and 72 euros per month respectively.

Permits are usually required for radio links, but this is not the case for connections in the 60GHz band. They are therefore more often used to provide outdoor areas with internet or for temporary projects that require fast internet.

The province of Overijssel is looking after the project for Holtheme or other outlying areas where fiber optics cannot be connected via a radio link. Areas around Markelo and the northeast of Twente, among others, are eligible.