Openreach has announced that eligible homes and businesses in the Bishopston area of Swansea could soon get better broadband with the support of the UK Government's Gigabit Voucher scheme.
It's been identified that the community is in scope for full fibre broadband, helping to make poor internet connectivity a thing of the past.
Eligible residents have already started to pledge Gigabit Vouchers to bring full fibre broadband to Bishopston by applying for and pooling together their free Government Gigabit Vouchers to help fund the build.
The broadband upgrades are integral to kickstarting economic growth for local businesses, as well as ensuring that people can access vital services they may need now and in the future.
Benefits range from improved access to healthcare through virtual appointments and remote health monitoring to better connectivity that allows people to stay in touch with family and friends to combat isolation.
Ultrafast broadband delivers faster speeds, and it won't slow down at peak times. This means no more battling for bandwidth, with the whole family being able to seamlessly surf, stream and download at the same time.
For the work to go ahead, the voucher take up would equate to 76 homes and businesses. So far, the response has been incredibly positive with the current number of pledges towards the funding goal standing at 87%.
Residents can check if they qualify and pledge their voucher on the Connect My Community website.
This new fibre community partnership comes in addition to the commercial plans already in place to upgrade other parts of Bishopston, so residents can rest assured that if they are living in that area, they will be included in plans laid out to upgrade its connectivity.
The decision on the fibre infrastructure build, the scope of premises covered, and the timeline are all subject to technical surveys, as well as the number of vouches pledged by the community.
The validated vouchers do not bear any cost to residents and sufficient take-up will enable Openreach to work with a local community to build a customised, co-funded network. The vouchers can be combined to extend the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to premises in outlying rural areas which won't be covered by private investment.
Martin Williams, Director of Partnerships for Openreach in Wales, said:
“This is a really exciting opportunity for people living and working in Bishopston to bring all the benefits of ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to their community.
“Our Fibre Community Partnership programme has meant that we've been able to bring thousands of additional properties across Wales and the rest of the UK into our full fibre build plans.
“Building out the network to these harder to reach locations is still challenging, though – which is why it's only possible with everyone working together – you, your neighbours and Openreach.
“Everyone who pledges a voucher will be doing their bit to help make their community one of the best-connected places in the UK.”
“We're investing £15 billion to build full fibre broadband to 25 million homes – and more than six million of those will be in the toughest third of the UK – but we can't upgrade the whole country alone. This latest support from government is a vital part of that process.”
Once the pledge target for the scheme is reached, residents need to ensure they then validate their vouchers with the Government so that Openreach can confirm that building work can get underway.
As part of the funding conditions residents are asked to commit to ordering a full fibre service from a provider of their choice for at least 12 months once the new network is available and confirm that they are connected.
Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said:
“Digital connectivity is so important nowadays both for businesses as well as residents and families. This is why we're committed to ensuring all communities in Swansea have access to the very best broadband connection speeds.
“From online commerce and access to vital services to social media and staying in touch with friends and family, digital connectivity is now at the heart of everyday life.
“The progress being made in Bishopston so far is very encouraging, and we hope to see that replicated in all parts of the city in future to ensure none of our communities are left behind.”
Full fibre networks provide more reliable, resilient, and future-proof connectivity. This means fewer faults, more predictable and consistent speeds, and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands. It is also future proof, which means it will serve generations to come and will not need to be upgraded for decades.
If you live in Swansea and have any questions relating to improving your broadband, contact your local Broadband Engagement Officer Claire Hughes on broadband@swansea.gov.uk
