MANCHESTER, U.K. -- Today MyZones, the world's first integrated Wi-Fi broadband service provider, has announced a three-year exclusive service contract with the Calder Connect Cooperative (3-C Coop) to provide both broadband and Wi-Fi broadband services to the Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd communities, and later the whole of the Upper Calder Valley.

The Calder Connect Cooperative (3-C) was formed from the groups of people active in campaigning for broadband in the Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd areas. After successfully lobbying for the local exchange to be DSL enabled, the consumer based cooperative made the decision that as a local organisation they could provide significant value to a broadband service by operating it locally in partnership with a major technology service partner.

The consumer cooperative will work locally to sign-up local customers; provide local customer support and billing services while leveraging the technology services provided by MyZones.

The appointment of MyZones as the exclusive provider follows a competitive tender process involving several telecommunications providers. A major influence in the appointment of MyZones was due to the integrated Wi-Fi broadband offering that MyZones provides.

The goal for the 3-C Coop is to not only to provide broadband to the local community but also Wi-Fi enable the community into a seamless regional HotSpot delivering new value added services over Wi-Fi.

Clive Mayhew-Begg, CEO of MyZones Ltd said of the 3-C Coop partnership, "We have been working with cooperatives through our sister company, Poptel for many years. The development of the MyZones service was built from this experience and is a natural cooperative service model. The 3-C Coop is the first cooperative in the UK to bring together a local community and provide such innovative Wi-Fi broadband services. We share the same vision and values for the development of these services and look forward to working in true partnership with 3-C and making this community the world's largest HotSpot community."

Mr. Mark Harrison from 3-C Coop said of the partnership "I am very pleased to announce our technology services partnership with MyZones. Our vision for the local community is to become the world's largest Wi-Fi community HotSpot over the next two years providing an integrated seamless Wi-Fi service connecting the total community.

Our goal is to pull together over 1,000 broadband connections servicing a local population of over 30,000 people in an integrated cooperative model, enabling the total community to benefit from broadband services with great prices and local support services.

Wi-Fi technology enables us to deliver this service in a cost effective way never able before and provides the opportunity for the local community to own and manage the last mile of telecommunication services themselves, the power returns to the local community."