Grid Telecom has renewed its sponsorship of the non-profit organisation Sarantaporo.gr

Grid Telecom has renewed its sponsorship of the non-profit organisation Sarantaporo.gr 

Grid Telecom, a subsidiary of ADMIE, is helping to improve broadband access in remote rural areas of Sarantaporo, Elassona, in Thessaly, by utilising its fibre-optic infrastructure and collaborating with the non-profit organisation Sarantaporo.gr.

Grid Telecom’s initiative forms part of the ADMIE Group’s community-focused initiatives for local communities, creating added value and making a significant contribution to bridging the digital divide for 16 villages in Sarantaporo.

Those directly benefiting are the residents of villages in the wider area, such as Livadi, Dolichi, Kokkinogi, Kokkinopilos, Lofos, Mikro Eleftherochori, Milea, Pythio, Tsapournia, Farmaki, Flambouro, as well as the Olympus Special Forces military unit, KEOAX.

As part of the sponsorship, Grid Telecom is providing capacity services free of charge to connect the Sarantaporo.gr Community Wireless Network to the nearest Data Centre, where the National Technology and Research Infrastructure Network, EDYTE S.A. – GRNET, one of the country’s largest public technology organisations. The Sarantaporo.gr Community Wireless Network has been a tried and tested, successful example of broadband development driven by the network’s own users for many years.

Public-benefit initiatives help to ensure high-quality provision of basic everyday needs that require broadband access, including the online prescribing of medicines and medical tests, connecting community clinics and public spaces to the internet, teleworking, networking agricultural and livestock farms located outside built-up areas, educational initiatives to develop digital skills, and so on.

In particular, the initiative has significantly improved the telecommunications services available to residents by:

• A tenfold increase in bandwidth for the connection to the outside world (the internet), from 100 Mbps to 1 Mbps
• A 733% increase in the average connection speed of the network’s internal nodes, from ~18 Mbps to ~152 Mbps
• Reduction in the average latency between internal network nodes by 86 per cent, from ~120 ms to ~16 ms

Sarantaporo.gr is a voluntary citizens’ initiative and a partner organisation of EDYTE, which aims to improve internet access in the wider Sarantaporo area of Elassona, for the benefit of permanent residents, school pupils, students and visitors. Its work has been recognised at a global level by the European Commission and by the IEEE and the Internet Society.

As Giorgos Kleisiaris, founder and board member of the non-profit organisation Sarantaporo.gr, states: ‘Two years after the start of the partnership between the non-profit organisation Sarantaporo.gr and Grid Telecom, the results for the Sarantaporo.gr Wireless Community Network are now visible, measurable and have a significant social impact. By connecting our network to EDYTE – GRNET via Grid Telecom’s infrastructure, we have achieved a tenfold increase in our overall internet connection speed, a dramatic increase in connection speeds for users and a significant reduction in latency (latency), thereby comprehensively improving the quality and reliability of the digital services we offer to remote communities in the Greek countryside, in the wider area of Sarantaporo, Elassona, where we operate. Today, more than 5,500 unique users a year, dozens of businesses and farms, as well as schools, community clinics and public spaces in 16 villages and locations, rely on our community network every day for stable and reliable internet access. This means greater opportunities for work, education, entrepreneurship and social cohesion in areas that for years have been on the margins of digital development. For us, this collaboration goes beyond a mere technical upgrade. It is a living example of how volunteering and social entrepreneurship can act as a bridge for innovation and collaboration with large organisations and infrastructure of strategic importance. It demonstrates that when civil society, local communities and traditional businesses work together with a shared vision, they can create sustainable solutions with a genuine social and developmental impact. The renewal of our partnership with Grid Telecom fills us with optimism and confirms that open, participatory and community-based infrastructure development models can not only coexist with the market but also pave new paths towards a more inclusive and resilient digital future for all.”

George Psyrris, Executive Director of Grid Telecom, notes that “Getting to know the Sarantaporo.gr team made me realise that behind such an important technological endeavor there are, first and foremost, people with passion, knowledge and a deep love for their local area. Their selfless contribution of their time and expertise to the local community is an excellent example of how connectivity and modern technologies can create real value for people and communities.”