UPDATE Wireless ISP ResQ Moves to Resolve Broadband Speed Woes

Welsh wireless broadband ISP ResQ (ResQNet) has apologised to customers after admitting that a mix of “technical issues” and becoming a “victim of our own success” (i.e. not enough capacity to meet demand) had contributed towards a series performance woes (slow service speeds) in rural areas.

The provider claims to provide Internet service speeds that range from 4Mbps to 100Mbps, which it states are “suitable for all home users and business users alike“. But recent performance and reliability woes have cropped up in Llangynin and other parts of rural Wales that are covered by the alternative network operator.

Clive Downey, Director of ResQ, said (This is south Wales):

“Over the last number of weeks our wireless, broadband service to a number of areas including Llangynin, has suffered with speed and reliability issues. Perhaps a victim of our own success, this, combined with new technical issues has resulted in these areas receiving a broadband service below our agreed contract.

We have emailed the customers concerned with the offer of a refund for the period of poor service and payments are being made. During this time our business has struggled to cope with the extra workload generated and we have experienced difficulties communicating updates effectively thereby compounding the situation.

We are now working closely with community organisations such as the Carmarthenshire Broadband Community Partnership to help overcome these deficiencies while continuing to restore agreed broadband speeds to the areas affected. We have a programme of investment that will realise its benefits by the end of October. We apologise for the distress and inconvenience this is causing.”

The ResQ website suggests that the ISP has been busy making various mast upgrades and last Friday they finally enhanced their existing fibre optic capacity link to support 500Mbps and “accommodate our upgrade plans“.

UPDATE 24th October 2013

A new report on the BBC suggests that the situation has now taken another twist with ResQNet having its public funding grants suspended. The Welsh Government has so far paid out £892,000 in grants to residents and businesses that had identified ResQNet as their broadband ISP and warned that a mechanism existed to “recover funding under certain circumstances“.