A new deal has been announced that will result in every Herefordshire Housing tenant being given access to a free wireless broadband service within the next five years. The service itself will be delivered by local wifi ISP Allpay Broadband.
According to Allpay, residents can expect to receive internet download speeds of up to 10Mbps (Megabits per second). The partnership will initially see wireless broadband installed at three sheltered housing schemes in the county, starting with Innesfield (Clehonger) where the Allpay system is serving a communal area along with 31 bungalows.
Peter Brown, CEO of Herefordshire Housing, said:
“Broadband is increasingly becoming the fourth utility and we want as many tenants as possible to benefit from having high-speed internet access in their home. We chose the scheme at Clehonger to test the allpay system as it is a rural location and BT have only been able to provide 2Mb to this point.
We feel access to the internet can help change people’s lives – from shopping, to contact with family members as well as accessing our own services.”
Tony Killeen, Allpay’s Managing Director, added:
“allpay already helps housing associations across the UK with the collection of rent through our bill payment systems, so it is a natural fit for us to provide them with broadband solutions as well.
Digital and financial inclusion are high up the allpay agenda and we are delighted to be working in partnership with Herefordshire Housing.”
Herefordshire Housing, which claims to manage 5,500 homes, will also provide training and support to residents who have difficulty getting online. The next sheltered schemes to benefit after Innesfield will be Southgate in Ross Road, Hereford, and Bryngwyn Court, off Barrs Court Road.
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