Working to give access to all areas
With responsibility for improving superfast broadband access across Wales, Openreach director Ed Hunt looks at how the roll-out is going and where the digital revolution is headed
Fibre broadband has been in the news a lot lately and it’s no surprise when you consider the reliance society has placed on it and how routine it is to do pretty much anything on demand.
More than 91% of properties in Wales have access to superfast broadband today. That’s better than Germany – a fact often forgotten when criticism, selective use of data and misleading statements make headlines.
Before the end of 2017, tens of thousands of extra homes and businesses will benefit from superfast broadband. A large number of these will receive full fibre. This means a fibre connection all the way to your home or business, bringing access to ultrafast broadband speeds faster than parts of London or Manchester.
Ultrafast speeds are also becoming available via the G.fast technology being piloted in many parts of the UK, including both Swansea and Cardiff.
There will be a minority of properties in Wales which won’t be able to benefit from fibre by the end of 2017 and for those there are options.
The Welsh Government has £80m to invest in more coverage and expects to go to market to seek a partner later this year. It also has one of the most generous voucher schemes in the UK where up to £800 is available for homes and businesses which require superfast speeds from a list of approved suppliers and up to £10,000 available for businesses that need ultrafast speeds. Openreach will also work with communities wishing to fund their own fibre solution via our Community Fibre Partnerships.
Other innovations might also offer a solution for some remote locations. Strides are being taken to make 4G mobile widely available in Wales, while Openreach is developing new technology, such as Long Reach VDSL, which could see more homes and businesses benefit from fibre enabled cabinets.
I know what it feels like not to have superfast broadband. Until last year, I lived on less than 1Mb broadband download speeds. While it allowed me to work, I couldn’t do much else. I supplemented my broadband with my 4G mobile and my community were talking about fundraising to get Openreach fibre broadband before it came along thanks to the Superfast Cymru programme.
Wales has higher coverage levels than the other devolved nations, but that is another fact that isn’t always appreciated.
We realise that there’s more to do and share the desire to build on the UK’s position as a leading digital nation, and to make decent broadband speeds available to the households and businesses that can’t order a superfast service today. To that end, BT has made a voluntary offer to deliver the Government’s goal for universal broadband access at minimum speeds of 10Mbps.