Blaenau Gwent get Ready to Benefit from £8million Openreach Full Fibre Boost

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Openreach , 3rd July 2023

Nick Smith MP recently joined up with some of the Openreach engineers that have been busy building a new Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband network across his Blaenau Gwent constituency.

He was given a tour of the work, which is making faster and more reliable ‘full fibre’ broadband available to homes and businesses in the local area. Around 30% of premises across the Blaenau Gwent constituency can already benefit from Openreach’s investment which when complete will total around £8 million* and bring some of the fastest and most reliable broadband speeds to the area.

The tour started with a quick visit to the Merthyr telephone exchange. Despite being across the ‘constituency border’ this is where the Openreach network starts for a significant number of properties in Blaenau Gwent.

At the exchange the MP was able to see up close the art of fibre splicing – where two ends of fibre optic glass cable no wider than a human hair are fused together. This delicate piece of engineering plays a vital role in Openreach’s Full Fibre network that’s already connected more than 10m properties across the UK.

After the Merthyr exchange it was a quick drive 16km up the road to Ebbw Vale to see the ‘final stage’ of the Openreach Full Fibre network and to talk to local engineers that are delivering this game changing technology to communities across Blaenau Gwent.

With this investment, residents and businesses in Blaenau Gwent can expect improved connectivity, reduced latency, and the ability to utilize bandwidth-intensive applications and services. Ultrafast broadband can also attract new businesses, promote economic growth, and enhance digital inclusion by providing equal opportunities for education, employment, and innovation.

Nick Smith MP said:

“I’m pleased to see the progress being made by Openreach to deliver full fibre across Blaenau Gwent constituency and the rest of Wales. I’m keen for local people to be able to reap the full benefits of fast, robust broadband, which is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives.

“This significant local investment is great news for people living and working in Blaenau Gwent and I’m delighted to see the progress Openreach are making to deliver full fibre across both urban and rural parts of my constituency.

“The area already has a high percentage of superfast broadband coverage, but full fibre is without doubt the future and the fact that Openreach is investing heavily in the area is to be welcomed.

“I look forward to even more progress being made so that all of my constituents can have the best access to digital services for employment, education and entertainment, as soon as possible.”

The visit was hosted by Martin Williams, Partnership Director for Wales, who said:

“We welcomed the opportunity to give Nick an overview of our ultrafast network. Our investment in Blaenau Gwent demonstrates Openreach’s commitment to improving digital infrastructure and bridging the digital divide. Our engineers work hard every day to keep communities across Blaenau Gwent and the rest of Wales connected, and it was great to be able to share the challenges and realities of delivering this technology.

“I would urge everyone in the local area to keep an eye on the build locally to see when full fibre is available to them. They can visit the Openreach fibre checker, which is regularly updated with our build progress and when full fibre is available in specific areas.”

Openreach is leading the full fibre charge in Wales to build an ultrafast network that is faster, better and more affordable than ever.

With download speeds of 1 Gbps, it’s up to 10 times faster than the average home broadband connection. That means faster game downloads, better quality video calls and higher resolution movie streaming.

You can also use multiple devices at once without experiencing slowdown – so more people in your household can get online at once. Even if the rest of your family are making video calls, streaming box sets or gaming online, all at the same time – you won’t experience stuttering, buffering or dropouts.

Full fibre is also less affected by peak time congestion – so you can enjoy your Saturday night blockbuster in 4K without the dreaded buffering screen.

About Openreach in Wales

Openreach is on track to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses with access to Full Fibre ultrafast broadband and has already reached nearly 700,000 properties across Wales.

With a workforce of around 2,300 in Wales, Openreach already employs the nation’s largest team of telecoms engineers and professionals.

Across Wales more than 195,000 homes and businesses have already ordered a full fibre service from a range of retail service providers using the Openreach network. But this means that thousands more could be benefiting from some of the fastest, most reliable broadband connections in Europe and have yet to upgrade.

Recent research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) highlighted the clear economic benefits of connecting everyone in Wales to full fibre. It estimated this would create a £2 billion boost to the Welsh economy.

This short video explains what Full Fibre technology is and you can find out more about our Fibre First programme, latest availability and local plans here.

Yn ddiweddar, ymwelodd Nick Smith AS â rhai o beirianwyr Openreach sy’n brysur yn adeiladu Rhwydwaith band eang Ffeibrcyflawn ar draws etholaeth Blaenau Gwent.

Gwelodd y gwaith i ddarparu band eang ffeibr cyflawn cyflym a dibynadwy ar gyfer cartrefi a busnesau lleol. Mae oddeutu 30% o adeiladau etholaeth Blaenau Gwent eisoes wedi elwa o fuddsoddiad Openreach, fydd yn dringo i oddeutu £8 miliwn ar ôl ei gwblhau ac yn darparu gwasanaeth band eang ymhlith y cyflymaf yn y wlad ar draws yr ardal.

Dechreuodd ei ymweliad yng nghyfnewidfa ffôn Merthyr. Er ei bod tu allan i ‘ffiniau’r etholaeth’ dyma fan cychwyn rhwydwaith Openreach ar gyfer nifer sylweddol o gartrefi a busnesau ardal Blaenau Gwent.

Yn y gyfnewidfa, cafodd yr Aelod Seneddol gyfle i brofi gwaith sbleisio ffeibr - wrth ffiwsio dau gebl ffeibr optig â’i gilydd. Mae’r gwaith peirianneg yma’n elfen allweddol o rwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn Openreach sydd eisoes wedi cysylltu dros 10 miliwn adeilad ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig.

Wedi hynny, gyrrodd tua 16 cilomedr i fyny’r heol i dref Glyn Ebwy i weld cymal olaf rhwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn Openreach a siarad gyda rhai o’r peirianwyr sy’n lledu’r dechnoleg i gymunedau Blaenau Gwent.

Yn dilyn y buddsoddiad, bydd trigolion a busnesau Blaenau Gwent yn gallu edrych ymlaen at gael gwasanaethau fydd yn dapraru cysylltedd gwell a dim oedi wrth drosglwyddo data (latency), a’r gallu i ddefnyddio adnoddau sy’n galw am wasanaeth ystod eang. Bydd band eang tra-chyflym hefyd yn helpu i ddenu busnesau newydd, hyrwyddo tyfiant economaidd a gwella cynhwysiad digidol wrth gynnig cyfleoedd cyfartal ym meysydd addysg, gwaith ac arloesi.

Dywedodd Nick Smith AS:

“Roeddwn yn falch iawn o weld ffrwyth gwaith Openreach i ddarparu ffeibr cyflawn ar draws etholaeth Blaenau Gwent a gweddill y wlad. Rwy’n annog pobl leol i fwynhau buddion band eang cyflym a dibynadwy, sy’n gynyddol bwysig yn ein bywydau beunyddiol.

“Mae’r buddsoddiad yn newyddion gwych i bobl yn byw a gweithio yn ardal Blaenau Gwent ac rwy’n falch iawn o brofi gwaith Openreach i ledu band eang ffeibr cyflawn i ardaloedd trefol a gwledig fy etholaeth.

“Mae’r ardal eisoes yn mwynhau gwasanaeth band eang uwchgyflym estynedig, ond ffeibr cyflawn yw’r dyfodol ac mae’n rhaid croesawu’r ffaith bod Openreach yn buddsoddi’n helaeth yn yr ardal.”

"Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weld hyd yn oed mwy o gynnydd fel y gall fy etholwyr i gyd gael y mynediad gorau i wasanaethau digidol er mwyn gwaith, addysg ac adloniant, cyn gynted â phosibl."

Trefnwyd yr ymweliad gan Martin Williams, Cyfarwyddwr Partneriaethau Cymru Openreach, a ddywedodd:

“Roedd yn bleser cael cyfle i roi amlinelliad o’n rhwydwaith tra-chyflym i Nick. Mae ein buddsoddiad yn yr ardal yn dangos ymroddiad Openreach i wella seilwaith digidol a phontio’r bwlch digidol. Bydd ein peirianwyr yn gweithio’n galed bob dydd i gadw cymunedau Blaenau Gwent a gweddill y wlad mewn cysylltiad, ac roedd yn dda cael rhannu’r heriau o ddarparu’r dechnoleg.

“Rwy’n cymell pawb yn yr ardal i gadw golwg ar y gwaith adeiladu er mwyn gweld pan fydd ffeibr cyflawn ar gael iddynt. Bydd Openreach fibre checker yn eu hysbysu o ddatblygiad y gwaith a phryd bydd ffeibr cyflawn ar gael iddynt.”

Openreach sy’n arwain y gwaith i ddarparu ffeibr cyflawn yng Nghymru, gan adeiladu rhwydwaith tra-chyflym fydd yn fwy cyflym, dibynadwy a fforddiadwy nag erioed.

Wrth lwytho data ar gyflymder hyd at 1 Gbps, mae oddeutu 10 gwaith yn gyflymach na chysylltiad band eang cartref cyfartalog. Bydd hynny’n golygu llwytho gemau’n gyflymach, galwadau fideo safon uwch a ffrydio ffilmiau HD.

Gallwch hefyd ddefnyddio sawl dyfais ar yr un pryd heb wynebu unrhyw oedi - felly bydd mwy o bobl yn y cartref yn gallu mynd arlein ar yr un pryd. Hyd yn oed os bydd gweddill y teulu’n gwneud galwadau fideo, ffrydio cyfresi teledu neu chwarae gemau arlein, ar yr un pryd - ni fyddant yn wynebu oedi, byffro neu golled signal.

Yn ogystal, mae ffeibr cyflawn yn llai tebygol o ddioddef tagfeydd amserau brig - felly gallwch fwynhau ffilm fawr nos Sadwrn mewn 4K heb weld y sgrin byffro ofnadwy!

Am Openreach Cymru

Mae Openreach yn dilyn ei raglen i gyrraedd 25 miliwn cartref a busnes yn y Deyrnas Unedig gyda band eang ffeibr cyflawn erbyn diwedd 2026 ac eisoes wedi cyrraedd dros 700,000 yng Nghymru.

Gyda gweithlu o oddeutu 2,300 yng Nghymru, mae Openreach eisoes yn cyflogi tîm peirianwyr a gweithwyr cysylltiedig mwyaf y genedl.

Yng Nghymru mae dros 195,000 cartref a busnes eisoes wedi archebu gwasanaeth ffeibr cyflawn gan amrediad o gwmnïau gwasanaeth sy’n defnyddio rhwydwaith Openreach. Ond mae hynny’n golygu bod miloedd o bobl eraill heb fachu ar y cyfle hyd yma i elwa o rai o’r cysylltiadau band eang mwyaf cyflym a dibynadwy yn Ewrop.

Ymchwil diweddar gan CEBR (Centre for Economics and Business Research) wedi tanlinellu’r buddion economaidd clir o gysylltu pawb yng Nghymru â ffeibr cyflawn. Amcangyfrifwyd byddai’n rhoi hwb gwerth £2 biliwn i economi Cymru.

Dyma fideo byr yn esbonio technoleg ffeibr cyflawn a gallwch ddysgu mwy am ein rhaglen Ffeibr Gyntaf, ein darpariaethau diweddaraf a’n cynlluniau lleol yma.