Openreach enable Board Meetings with a Difference

Openreach , 8th August 2022

People visiting the beautiful West Wales beach of Mwnt, in Ceredigion, are now able to surf both the waves and web on the same day thanks to a new ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband network, built by Openreach. And virtual team meetings have even been held from Mwnt beach using the new infrastructure.

The UK’s largest digital network provider has just connected the popular Caban Mwnt café at the top of Mwnt beach with ultrafast broadband, which means ‘working from the beach’ could become a new norm as the summer holidays get into full swing.

More than eight million properties across the UK – including 500,000 in Wales – can now order Full Fibre broadband thanks to the Openreach investment and the company is almost a third of the way towards meeting its commitment to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026.

The brand-new Full Fibre infrastructure in Mwnt enables LoRaWAN technology to be used that provides real time data on visitors, weather and alerts when the nearby defibrillator has been tampered with. This allows Ferwig Community Council to make data driven decisions, ensuring adequate resources are provided at this unique location.

To connect the café Openreach engineers had to run fibre from the exchange around five kilometres away in Cardigan across fields and down narrow lanes. Working closely with Ceredigion Council the company was able to agree early starts for their work in order to minimise disruption to visitors of the popular beauty spot. Meanwhile good relationships with local landowners and the National Trust, who manage the land around Mwnt, meant that engineers were able to complete the work in good time for start of the busy tourist season.

Rachel Welch, owner of Caban Mwnt said:

Full fibre is essential for running Caban Mwnt, it helps us promote our business through social media channels, including sharing pictures of dolphins often seen here. Fibre enables our analytics systems which helps us determine we aren’t missing a trick when it comes to our opening times and general offer throughout the year, it also helps us keep secure with our new alarm system.

Councillor Clive Davies, Ceredigion Council, said,

Bringing Full Fibre to this rural part of Ceredigion is greatly beneficial to us. It not only allows us to digitally monitor the Defibrillator that we have at Mwnt beach but also allows visitors to pay for their parking using their mobiles and make phone calls using the Wifi that we now have across the beach – weather that be for emergencies or to simply call a taxi.

To stress test the new connectivity we have even managed to hold a virtual meeting where a number of people attended the meeting via their laptops from Mwnt beach. Who knows – this could be the future?!

In addition to the café, Openreach were also able to connect a nearby camp side and wedding venue.

Ben Lake MP for Ceredigion said:

Mwnt is one of Ceredigion’s most beautiful and remote beaches and having Full Fibre coverage is a positive development for both the local businesses and for the safety of locals and visitors alike.

A huge thank you to everyone involved, particularly Openreach, Ferwig Community Council and Cllr. Clive Davies, for pursuing this important development.

Connie Dixon, Partnership Director for Openreach in Wales, added:

I’m sure quite a few visitors to Mwnt beach have been caught out after making their way to the top of the steps and not having change to buy an ice-cream in the café.

Our new Full Fibre infrastructure will change all of that as you will now be able to use contactless but fibre broadband will enable so much more than that for other businesses in the area and beachgoers.

I’m incredibly proud of the work our team has done to bring ultrafast Full Fibre to not only the café but also a number of businesses in the area.

Not matter where you are in the world people now need and expect good connectivity. This infrastructure will provide a vital boost to the tourist economy as we go into summer.

Top 10 things needed to work from the Beach this summer:

Internet access
Anti-Glare screen protectors
Laptop locks
Waterproof gadget bags
Plug adapter and power supply
Power bank
Portable folding chair
Sun cream
Noise-cancelling headphones
Sun glasses and water

Mae pobl sy’n ymweld â thraeth hyfryd Gorllewin Cymru ym Mwnt, yng Ngheredigion, bellach yn gallu syrffio'r tonnau a'r we ar yr un diwrnod diolch i rwydwaith band eang ffibr llawn tra chyflym, tra dibynadwy, a adeiladwyd gan Openreach. Ac mae cyfarfodydd tîm rhithiol wedi eu cynnal o draeth Mwnt gan ddefnyddio'r isadeiledd newydd.

Mae adeiladwr rhwydwaith mwyaf y Deyrnas Unedig wedi cysylltu café poblogaidd - Caban Mwnt - ger traeth Mwnt â band eang tra-chyflym sydd wedi darparu cysylltedd wifi gwych fydd yn hwyluso gweithio ar y traeth dros yr haf.

Yn ddiweddar cyrhaeddodd Openreach dros 8 miliwn cartref a busnes ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig - yn cynnwys 500,000 yng Nghymru - sydd yn awr yn gallu cael band eang ffeibr cyflawn. Sef yn agos at draean o’i ymrwymiad i gyrraedd 25 miliwn gyda ffeibr cyflawn erbyn Rhagfyr 2026.

Bydd darparu band eang ffeibr cyflawn yn ardal Mwnt hefyd yn caniatáu defnyddio technoleg LoRaWAN er cael data amser real ar ymwelwyr a’r tywydd, a rhybuddion os bydd rhywun yn ymyrryd â’r diffibriliwr cyfagos. Bydd hynny’n galluogi Cyngor Cymuned y Ferwig i wneud penderfyniadau ar sail data dibynadwy er mwyn darparu adnoddau digonol yn y lleoliad unigryw.

Er mwyn cysylltu’r café, roedd peirianwyr Openreach wedi gorfod gosod ffeibr o’r gyfnewidfa tua 5 cilomedr i ffwrdd yn nhref Aberteifi ar draws y caeau ac ar hyd lonydd cul.

Wrth gydweithio â Chyngor Ceredigion, llwyddodd Openreach i drefnu dechrau gwaith yn gynnar yn y bore er mwyn osgoi ymyrryd â mwynhad ymwelwyr â’r safle poblogaidd. Ac wrth ddatblygu cysylltiadau da gyda pherchnogion tir lleol a’r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol, sy’n rheoli’r tir o gwmpas Mwnt, llwyddodd y peirianwyr i gwblhau’r gwaith erbyn dechrau tymor yr haf.

Dywedodd Rachel Welch, perchennog Caban Mwnt:

Mae ffeibr cyflawn yn hanfodol er rhedeg Caban Mwnt, wrth helpu i hyrwyddo’r busnes ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, yn cynnwys rhannu lluniau o’r dolffiniaid sy’n ymweld â’r ardal. Yn ogystal mae ffeibr yn cynnal ein systemau dadansoddol sy’n helpu i bennu amserau agor a’n darpariaeth drwy gydol y flwyddyn ac yn cefnogi’r system larwm newydd.

Dywedodd y Cynghorydd Clive Davies, Cyngor Ceredigion,

Mae strategaeth ddigidol Llywodraeth Cymru, mewn partneriaeth â Chyngor Sir Ceredigion ac Openreach, wedi darparu cysylltedd ffeibr cyflawn ar un o draethau mwyaf diarffordd Ceredigion.”

Fel y cynghorydd sir lleol a’r aelod cabinet ar dwristiaeth, bydd band eang ffeibr nid yn unig yn cefnogi café Caban ond hefyd yn darparu wifi ar gyfer ymwelwyr ynghyd â hwyluso galwadau brys yn achos argyfwng.

Diolch i Openreach am ei waith yn darparu’r gwasanaeth a Chyngor Cymuned y Ferwig sydd wedi profi’n allweddol wrth ein helpu i gyrraedd ardal Mwnt.

Yn ogystal â’r café, mae Openreach hefyd wedi cysylltu maes gwersylla a lleoliad priodasau lleol.

Dywedodd Ben Lake AS Ceredigion:

Mwnt yw un o’r traethau mwyaf deniadol a diarffordd yn y sir ac mae cael band eang ffeibr cyflawn yn ddatblygiad positif iawn ar gyfer busnesau lleol ac er diogelu pobl leol ac ymwelwyr.

Diolch yn fawr i bawb, yn benodol Openreach, Cyngor Cymuned y Ferwig a’r Cynghorydd Clive Davies, am helpu i wireddu’r datblygiad pwysig hwn.

Ychwanegodd Connie Dixon, Cyfarwyddwraig Partneriaethau Cymru Openreach:

Rwy’n siŵr bod llawer o ymwelwyr â thraeth Mwnt wedi cyrraedd brig stepiau’r traeth heb sylweddoli nad oedd newid ganddynt i brynu hufen iâ yn y café.”

Bydd ein rhwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn yn newid hynny wrth hwyluso defnyddio cardiau i dalu am nwyddau ond bydd band eang ffeibr hefyd yn darparu llawer mwy ar gyfer busnesau ac ymwelwyr.

Rwy’n hynod falch o waith ein tîm i redeg ffeibr cyflawn nid yn unig i’r café ond hefyd nifer o fusnesau yn yr ardal.

Dim ots ble byddwch yn y byd, mae pobl yn disgwyl cael cysylltedd da. Bydd y gwasanaeth yn darparu hwb hanfodol i’r maes twristiaeth dros yr haf.

10 peth defnyddiol er gweithio ar y traeth dros yr haf: