There are few personal benefits from trotting around the globe for the OPLAN Foundation ‘opening minds to open networks’, but one of the them is certainly discovering and getting to know interesting individuals equally committed to OPLAN principles but coming with a deep understanding from a specialised and entirely different perspective from me.  I am no techie, so when I encounter someone who ‘is’ and who I can understand and communicate with around this topic, I am particularly excited and stimulated.

That has happened twice recently at two different events.  The first was in Stockholm where I was invited to speak at the “The Broadband Ship 2006” event organised by The Swedish Urban Network Association (Svenska Stadsnätsföreningen – SSNf).  This non-profit association was formed in 1989 to link the numerous Swedish network owners who are actively engaged in the development of local broadband infrastructure – almost all on an open access basis.  SSNf now has well in excess of a hundred members in this OPLAN-hot country....