Llangedwyn and Llanfechain in Wales Get Faster Wireless Broadband

The remote rural villages of Llangedwyn and Llanfechain in Powys (Wales, UK) now have access to wireless broadband download speeds of up to 100Mbps (Megabits per second), which is all thanks to a new and curiously marketed “fibre over the air” service from local ISP eXwavia.

It’s understood that eXwavia’s engineers had to brave heavy snow and ice conditions in order to install the new service, which often required them to park their vans at the bottom of lanes and then to carry all of the equipment on foot.

The ISP claims that local “residents now have next generation broadband, years before Government targets“, although it should be noted that their Home packages currently only offer speeds of up to 16Mbps (below the government’s minimum NGA speed target of 25Mbps+). The cheapest 4Mbps home package is priced at £20 a month and all packages come with “unlimited” (FUP) usage.

The community apparently took advantage of the Welsh Government’s £2m Broadband Support Scheme (BSS), which offers grants worth up to £1,000 (per property) to help cover the cost of installing a new internet service. In December 2012 the ISP revealed that it planned to extend the reach of its wireless solution to cover over 27,000 households and 3,000 businesses in Powys (Wales, United Kingdom) by the end of January 2013.

1. New_Londoner

   January 28, 2013 at 7:46 am

   Interesting to know if the quoted speeds comply with Ofcom’s rules on advertising broadband performance.

   Reply
2. DTMark

   January 28, 2013 at 9:04 am

   Could start a new marketing trend:

   “Fibre over the air”
   “Fibre over co-ax”
   “Fibre over telephone lines”
   “Fibre” (to the premises)

   As OFCOM haven’t grasped the ball in terms of defining what “fibre” is (it it the tech? Is it the minimum attainable speed?), it seems others will have to do it for them.

   So far as I can see, this is fibre to the neighbourhood, the same as BT and Virgin’s semi-fibre solutions.

   Time to define “fibre” and “broadband” perhaps.

   Reply
   • PhilT

     January 28, 2013 at 9:34 am

     Broadband has been defined for at least 30 years as a transmission technology using multiple frequencies simultaneously. I recall sitting in broadband vs baseband networking discussions in the 80s.

     Amusingly, most fibre optic is narrowband / baseband as it uses a single wavelength.
   • 3G Infinity

     January 28, 2013 at 10:13 am

     ‘Fibre through water’ already exists (under the sea), as does ‘Fibre through the air’ (hung on poles in rural areas of Canada).
   • DTMark

     January 28, 2013 at 12:22 pm

     It becomes even more interesting if the headline speed of the packages can be increased to 25Meg.

     Perhaps put in some repeaters/a mesh arrangement, and then they could call it ‘*superfast* fibre over the air’, since no part-fibre technology currently deployed has to be able to deliver those speeds to any particular residents connected to it in order to qualify as “superfast” for marketing purposes.
   • New_Londoner

     January 28, 2013 at 10:26 pm

     Fibre through the air in Highams Park too!
3. Nilsatis

   January 28, 2013 at 9:42 am

   Indeed they have braved poor weather conditions, where much larger companies would run a mile (thinking Openreach), Supplied a service where others would not (thinking Openreach).

   Reply
4. 3G Infinity

   January 28, 2013 at 10:14 am

   I’d watch the speed claims, if the minimum service is 4Mbps then its unlikey it will achieve 100Mbps.

   Reply
5. Nilsatis

   January 28, 2013 at 10:22 am

   @3G Infinity, even at 4Mbps, its still a whole lot better for many, that’s currently available using Openreach as delivery.

   Reply
   • 3G Infinity

     January 28, 2013 at 10:59 am

     Apologies, yes even after Superfast BB arrives there is still 10% of country with an up to 2Mbps service.
6. Nilsatis

   January 28, 2013 at 11:50 am

   Room for more providers like Exvavia, whole in the market.

   Reply

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