The rural village of Llanbrynmair in Powys can lay claim to being the first telephone exchange area in the UK to have 100% Full Fibre broadband coverage – meaning every home and property in the village can now access ultrafast, ultra-reliable broadband.
This ground-breaking upgrade, which has been delivered by Openreach thanks to the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, brings Full Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology to every property in Llanbrynmair – more than 500 – delivering internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).
This significant boost in connectivity will transform the digital landscape for both residents and businesses by providing the community with seamless access to remote working, online education, entertainment streaming and other essential online services.
Among the Llabrynmair residents to see an instant benefit as a result of their new connectivity is local farmer and classical singer, Aled Wyn Davies.
Aled, who in addition to his busy day job of tending to his hillside farm, travels the world as part of the famous Three Welsh Tenors and has been singing the praises of his new ultrafast broadband.
Aled said:
“Having ultrafast broadband has completely changed our lives.
“I can record myself singing and send it to an accompanist or studio and they receive everything instantaneously. Previously it would have taken 10 minutes or more and I would have to go outside the house to find a mobile signal. Everything’s instant now and so much easier.
“Everybody in the house is happy. We can use our different gadgets at the same time and I can watch the football and there’s no buffering at all. It’s perfect.”
Suzanne Rutherford, Chief Engineer Director for Openreach in Wales, said:
“We’re delighted to announce Llanbrynmair as the first telephone exchange area in the UK to achieve 100% Full Fibre coverage.
“This milestone is a significant achievement for us and reflects Openreach’s commitment to building our Full Fibre network as far and as fast as possible.
“To reach every property within an exchange area with Full Fibre has never been done before so I’m proud that we managed to cross this engineering challenge in Wales first. Issues such as difficult topography, access to land or cost can all have an impact on how far we can go within a telephone exchange area but I’m delighted that these potential pitfalls have been crossed thanks to team work – from our local engineers, the community and UK Government.”
The achievement has been a collaborative effort, with the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme playing a pivotal role in funding the deployment of full fibre in rural and hard-to-reach areas. The scheme helps by contributing to the cost of building gigabit-capable broadband networks in areas where it is financially challenging.
Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:
“It is fantastic to see an entire community in Wales having access to top-of-the-range internet thanks to this government-backed programme.
“A good internet connection is absolutely essential from easing day-to-day tasks such as online shopping and banking, to helping international musicians deliver showstopping performances, or enabling a farming business to branch out into other avenues.”
Openreach has been working with the community to encourage residents to join their Fibre Community Partnership (FCP) programme – where free Government Gigabit Vouchers are pooled together to help fund the build.
Across Wales more than 50 communities making up nearly 25,000 properties in some of the most rural parts of the country could take advantage of this ultrafast upgrade as a result of the scheme.
If enough people sign up, homes and businesses in these harder to reach communities will join more than 900,000 properties across Wales that already have access to Full Fibre broadband.
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.
Fibre optics – strands of glass around one-tenth the thickness of a human hair – transmit data using light signals. Fibre is smaller, lighter and more durable than copper cabling and less vulnerable to damage.
Similar to Llanbrynmair, residents can check if they qualify and pledge their voucher on the Connect My Community website. Using the vouchers – which don’t cost residents anything, enables Openreach to work with a local community to build a customised, co-funded network.
You can find out more about the benefits of an upgrade to Full Fibre broadband on the Openreach website.