The Mortainais district is to become a standard in the dissemination of new technologies within rural environments, thanks to the impetus of Acome and its 1,100 employees. Since December 2006, the district is a certified PER - Pôle d’Excellence Rurale (Rural Centre of Excellence), baptised Nove@ and now endowed with an international training centre.

Acome | A Rural Centre of Excellence

Acome
With 1,300 employees, 1,100 of whom are based in Mortain, Acome is the market leader in telecommunications in three specific fields: wire cable production (optic fibre and copper), wiring for the motor industry and networks for construction.

A Rural Centre of Excellence
Nove@, an association for the dissemination of new technologies, was created in June 2006 and certified a PER (Rural Centre of Excellence) in the high broadband sector. This PER relies on the three following missions:
• the creation of an expert training centre (Espace Nove@) devoted to new technologies
• the development of solutions for high broadband coverage of white zones
• the development of NITC for the rural population.
Nove@ reunites companies (Acome, Barrain, France Telecom, Sturno…), local authorities (the development association “Pays de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel”, the Mortain Community of Communes, Manche Numérique) and the region’s socio-economic players (Chamber of Commerce and Industry, CRITT, ENSICAEN, CTN…). The association benefits from financial support, in particular from the Lower Normandy Regional Council, the Manche County Council and the DRIRE.

Nove@, or how a landlocked rural territory gets its act together to make the most of a nearby market leader. In the little village of Romagny located 4 kilometres from the market town of Mortain, Acome (see boxed article) is the epicentre of a technological impetus which is mobilising local players. In only a few years, in the wake of this leader in optic fibre, a business park and a training centre focusing on new technologies have emerged. “The presence of Acome is an advantage for the entire area, which is not to be neglected. Local MPs and the company’s management have been keen for several years now to attract both students and other businesses, and to transform this somewhat remote rural zone, located between Caen and Rennes, into a genuine laboratory (a « Living Lab ») aimed at disseminating new technologies in rural environments.”
Dominique Brault, Acome’s telecommunications solutions manager, is familiar with the project’s development over the past three years. Today chairman of the Nove@ association, created in 2006 to give structure to this local impetus, he has indeed inaugurated a truly influential tool. Nove@’s new premises, an attractive and modern 800m2 glass and metal building, opened last June, will essentially be focusing on training. But not only training since businesses and project initiators will also be offered an enterprise zone with a number of services and tools at their disposal. Espace Nove@ is the figurehead of a new hub which fully intends to generate experimental projects throughout the territory in the field of broadband and new information technologies.

An internationally ambitious training centre

“Our local know-how should be exploited to help other businesses and to enable them to improve their own skills. In order to put together our business offer, we considered each industry independently and came to the conclusion that we can satisfy huge demands in terms of training,” resumes Dominique Brault. In the field of electricity, both construction and telecommunications companies are faced with new demands, “at a time when the Baby Boomers are reaching retirement and new technologies such as bio-electricity are emerging.” Designed to welcome up to 5,000 trainees per year Espace Nove@ will be organising training for self-employed electricians, on emerging technologies such as bio-electrical wiring, LED lighting or photovoltaic energy… “Nove@ will be offering nationally or internationally applicable training courses focusing on technologies for which local enterprise already boasts the necessary skills. The emergence of new technologies inevitably demands new skills and we can help many businesses to refresh their know-how and to benefit from high-performance tools,” explains Marie-Françoise Dujarrier, Nove@’s Manager. An approach which has been developed in partnership with the region’s training leaders: Groupe FIM, AFPA, GRETA…

Experimental projects for “white” zones

Nove@ could well take advantage of Acome’s nearby CETHC - Centre d’Expertise du Très Haut Débit (Very High Broadband Expertise Centre). This demonstrator, reuniting over a surface area of 10,000m2 a vast range of high and very high broadband network infrastructure solutions, is indeed a remarkable training tool. “Our platform demonstrates, in real size, how a very high broadband network works, along with wiring, connections… From the transmitter to the end user in a mock apartment. Today, the CETHD is a renowned platform attracting many businesses looking to train specialists on this type of network.”
Built from December 2007 to June 2008, Espace Nove@ is also an enterprise zone and a genuine showcase of local know-how, offering broadband access, IP telephony and a videoconference room. It will also be hosting two work groups whose mission it is to develop two experimental projects. The first, within the framework of the Manche Numérique’s request for proposals, will deal with solutions for deploying very high broadband in areas hitherto not served by ADSL. The second will be developing solutions to help dependant people to stay in their own homes via new technologies. “The work groups reunite, in particular, leading companies around Acome. The idea is to experiment solutions throughout the Mortainais district and to subsequently create a new technology laboratory in a rural environment, in order to provide genuine alternatives for rural “white” zones, with low resources,” explains Dominique Brault. Nove@ is looking to play the leading role in the district’s digital development.

Marie-Françoise Dujarrier
Tél. : 02 33 79 51 40
Site : Nove@

Send post as PDF to