North Wales Sets Out Gigabit Full Fibre Plan to Connect Public Sites

The North Wales Economic Ambition Board (NWEAB) has today set out its plan for investing up to £7m from Wave 3 of the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme, which will see Gigabit capable fibre and “ultrafast broadband” services being used to connect up to 400 further public sector sites.

The plan, which seems likely to complement the forthcoming North Wales Growth Deal (expected in 2020), will work to improve connectivity for GP surgeries, libraries, hospitals and social services across the counties of Denbighshire, Wrexham, Conwy, Flintshire, Anglesey and Gwynedd in North Wales.

Overall thirteen public sector organisations (e.g. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board) are currently in scope to benefit from the investment in North Wales, which follows similar investment led by Welsh Government in its LiDW projects to deliver fibre connectivity to schools in recent years.

The upgrades to end sites will be undertaken by BT though the Wales-wide Public Sector Broadband Aggregation (PSBA) contract. This already provides connectivity to nearly 5,000 public sites in Wales.

Dyfrig Siencyn, Gwynedd Council Leader and Chair of the NWEAB, said:

“This illustrates our level of ambition in North Wales when it comes to improving digital connectivity.

Our residents and businesses depend on us to deliver high quality public services and having connectivity is essential to that, whether it is in schools, libraries or in health centres.

We have to keep pace with what technology can offer our communities and not be left behind other regions who recognise the value of full fibre broadband.

This was a competitive process and our success is due to close collaboration and partnership working regionally and nationally, with support from colleagues in Welsh Government and the NHS.

The Growth Deal is our next target and we will continue to work with Government and industry to deliver a credible plan for further significant investment in connectivity.”

Margot James, UK Minster for Digital, said:

“We’re building a Britain that’s fit for the future, and our plans for a national full fibre broadband network underpin our modern Industrial Strategy.

This £7m boost for gigabit speeds in Northern Wales will benefit homes and businesses in rural areas and I congratulate the North Wales Economic Ambition Board in its successful Bid.”

Surveying work is due to start this month, with installation then running through to the end of 2020. A significant number of premises in the bid – over 100 – are said to be GP surgeries in both large towns and small villages.

Eventually even businesses and homes could benefit as the new network could support future Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) services from ISPs, although at this stage that is more of an aspiration (i.e. not part of this investment).