INDUSTRY EVENTS
INCA Awards Winners
Wightfibre Customer Acquisition
Xantaro Outstanding Delivery of New Infrastructure
Wightfibre Best Social Value
Oxfordshire County Council Best Public Sector or Community Project
ITS Health and Safety Leadership
Strategic Imperatives Technical Innovation
Queens Anniversary Prize for our rural work. Retired from his role as Deputy Director-ISS at the University in 2009 and founded Broadband for the Rural North Ltd (B4RN), a not-for-profit community benefit society with the aim of deploying a full fibre FTTH network across North Lancashire, South Cumbria and parts of North Yorkshire. This is now delivering 1GbE and 10Gbs symmetric broadband to over 14,000 properties in the deeply rural last few percent of the country with extensions well beyond the original plan. Awarded an MBE for services to rural broadband in 2015. Retired as B4RN Chief Executive at the end of 2020. Holds a Professorial Fellowship in Networking at the Department of Computing, Lancaster University and is a Fellow of the RSA.
technical to socio-demographic effects he originates the bulk of Point Topic’s modelling and data analysis. Originally a mathematical economist Oliver subsequently moved on from the City (working in strategic management consultancies) and progressed through a number of media rich environments including broadcast TV, online and offline advertising and digital marketing for some of the largest global brands and agencies before arriving at Point Topic. Oliver oversees the analyst and development work on Point Topic’s geographic products in particular and continues to work on broadband scoping projects for the local and national governments, the European Commission as well as a full range of industry clients.
Barry Forde MBE, Founder and former CEO, B4RN
First career as a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy led to a lifetime interest in radio communications and got the wanderlust out of his system! Then moved to the military/aerospace industry with British Aerospace (Missiles) and Marconi Avionics (Sonar) before moving to Lancaster University as a systems programmer in 1979. Held a range of posts there deploying campus, regional and national networks across the UK, with a particular interest in the more rural areas. Founding Director of LUNS Ltd, which was uniquely awarded a telecoms licence and code powers by OFTEL. Undertook LLU/CoLocation across hundreds of small rural exchanges to link schools and educational sites to the internet. University awarded the
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Volume 47 No.4 DECEMBER 2025
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