Thousands Across Newport Missing Out on Faster Broadband

Openreach , 6th February 2023

Less than 20 per cent of people and businesses who can upgrade to Ultrafast Full Fibre across Newport have done so – with thousands still missing out on faster, more reliable broadband services.

Following a £9.3 million pound local investment, Openreach engineers have been busy building the network to make ultrafast speeds of up to one gigabit per second (Gbps) available to the majority of the town and adjoining communities.

People living and working in the city and its surrounding areas , are being encouraged to find out more about faster broadband – as the latest figures show that Openreach’s Full Fibre network – used by the likes of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen – is now available to nearly 31,000 premises but only 18.7% have signed up.

As well as being faster, Full Fibre broadband provides more reliable, resilient and future-proof connectivity, with fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds; and enough capacity to use multiple devices at once.

Elsewhere, Openreach engineers have also been hard at work in Cardiff where more than 107,000 households and businesses can already place an order for the new technology.

The company has also announced plans to build the new network in Ebbw Vale , Tredegar and Abertillery.

Martin Williams, Openreach’s regional director for Wales, said:

“Research shows that this new network will give businesses an edge and provide families and home-workers future-proof connectivity, no matter what life throws at us next.

“Our investment across the region and the rest of Wales continues at pace, and we’re determined to deliver a great service which helps communities thrive and supports people to work from home easily, keep in touch with their loved ones and build connections and opportunities.

“Gigabit-capable broadband can have a huge impact on people’s lives and it’s great for the economy but upgrades aren’t automatic. People need to place an order with their chosen providers to get connected and we’ll do the rest. Our network offers the widest choice of providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen – which means people have lots of choice and can get a great deal.”

Packages from a wide range of broadband providers are increasingly competitively priced, meaning people may not end up paying much more per month than their current bill, for a much-improved service.

Once somebody places and order with a service provider, an Openreach engineer will visit on an agreed day. They’ll run a new fibre optical cable from underground or a nearby pole to a small junction box on the outside wall of the premises. A smaller cable goes through the outside wall to an inside unit – which needs to be near a double electric socket – and before they leave, the engineer will test the connection to make sure it’s up and running.

Openreach has announced plans to invest in Full Fibre broadband for the majority of premises across Wales. It’s part of the company’s plans to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2026. This short video explains what full fibre technology is and you can find out more about our build programme here.

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

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.

Mae llai na 20% o bobl a busnesau Casnewydd - sy’n gallu uwchraddio i wasanaeth ffeibr cyflawn trachyflym - wedi gwneud hynny, gyda miloedd heb fachu ar fanteision band eang mwy cyflym a dibynadwy.

Yn dilyn buddsoddiad lleol gwerth £9.3 miliwn, mae peirianwyr Openreach wedi gweithio’n galed i osod rhwydwaith fydd yn darparu cyflymderau hyd at un gigabeit yr eiliad (Gbps) ar gyfer y rhan helaeth o’r ardal.

Erbyn hyn mae’r cwmni yn annog pobl sy’n byw a gweithio yn y ddinas a’r ardal leol i ddysgu mwy am fand eang cyflym - gyda’r ffigurau diweddaraf yn dangos bod rhwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn Openreach - a ddefnyddir gan gwmnïau fel BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone a Zen - erbyn hyn ar gael i bron 31,000 cartref a busnes, ond dim ond 18.7% sydd wedi arwyddo i gael y gwasanaeth hyd yma.

Yn ogystal â darparu gwasanaeth cyflymach, mae band eang ffeibr cyflawn yn cynnig cysylltedd mwy dibynadwy a chadarn fydd yn addasu mewn ymateb i ddatblygiadau’r dyfodol, gyda llai o namau; cyflymderau dibynadwy; a chynhwysedd digonol i gynnal sawl dyfais ar yr un pryd.

Tua’r brifddinas, mae peirianwyr Openreach wedi gweithio i ddarparu’r dechnoleg newydd ar gyfer dros 107,000 cartref a busnes.

Ar ben hynny, mae’r cwmni wedi cyhoeddi cynlluniau i ledu’r rhwydwaith newydd i ardaloedd Glyn Ebwy, Tredegar ac Abertyleri.

Dywedodd Martin Williams, cyfarwyddwr rhanbarthol Cymru Openreach:

“Yn ôl ymchwil, bydd y rhwydwaith newydd yn rhoi mantais fasnachol i fusnesau ac yn darparu cysylltedd cyflym ar gyfer teuluoedd a gweithwyr cartref, dim ots pa heriau byddant yn wynebu.

“Bydd ein buddsoddiad yn parhau ar draws y rhanbarth a gweddill y wlad, gan ein bod yn benderfynol o ddarparu gwasanaeth gwych er helpu cymunedau i ffynnu a hwyluso gweithio gartref, cadw mewn cysylltiad a datblygu cysylltiadau a chyfleoedd newydd.

“Gallai band eang gigabeit gael effaith enfawr ar fywydau pobl a rhoi hwb mawr i’r economi, ond ni fydd gwasanaethau’n uwchraddio yn otomatig. Bydd angen i bobl osod archeb gyda’r cyflenwr o’u dewis er mwyn cysylltu â’r rhwydwaith newydd ac yna byddwn ni’n gwneud y gweddill. Mae ein rhwydwaith yn cynnig y dewis mwyaf eang o gwmnïau fel BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone a Zen - sy’n golygu llawer o ddewis a chyfle i gael bargen.”

Erbyn hyn, mae pecynnau cystadleuol ar gael gan amrediad eang o gwmnïau band eang, sy’n golygu na fydd pobl yn talu llawer mwy bob mis na’u biliau cyfredol - a hynny am wasanaeth llawer gwell.

Unwaith bydd cwsmer yn gosod archeb gyda chwmni gwasanaeth, bydd peiriannydd Openreach yn ymweld ar y dyddiad a gytunwyd, gan redeg cebl ffeibr optig o dan y ddaear neu o bolyn cyfagos i flwch cyswllt bach ar wal allanol yr adeilad. Yna, cebl llai i gysylltu ag uned fewnol - yn agos at soced trydan dwbl - a chyn gadael, profi’r cysylltiad er sicrhau bydd yn gweithio’n iawn.

Mae Openreach wedi cyhoeddi cynlluniau i fuddsoddi mewn band eang ffeibr cyflawn ar gyfer y rhan helaeth o gartrefi a busnesau yng Nghymru. Rhan o gynlluniau’r cwmni i gyrraedd 25 miliwn cartref a busnes yn y Deyrnas Unedig erbyn diwedd 2026. 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.

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

Mae ymchwil diweddar gan Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) wedi tanlinellu’r buddion economaidd o gysylltu pawb yng Nghymru â rhwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn. Amcangyfrifir byddai’n creu hwb gwerth £2 biliwn i economi’r wlad, wrth hwyluso dulliau gwaith newydd a chreu cyfleoedd ar gyfer y genhedlaeth nesaf o fusnesau cartref.