Suffolk UK Confirms Phase 4 BDUK and BT Fibre Broadband Rollouts

The £40m+ Better Broadband for Suffolk project in England, which has so far helped 36,000 extra local premises to access BT’s “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) network and aims to extend coverage out to 90% of the county by the end of 2015 (note: 85% will get speeds of 24Mbps+) and around 95% by 2017, has tentatively confirmed its next phase 4 roll-out areas.

The project is currently on-track to reach around 100,000 extra homes and businesses by the end of 2015 (note: Suffolk has a total population of around 720,000 people and 350,000 premises (95% residential and 5% business), although the total “intervention area” (i.e. where state aid could potentially be used for an upgrade) is stated to represent roughly 142,000 premises (most of those outside this area have already got faster broadband via commercial investment).

The next Phase 4 upgrades are now beginning and most of these will be delivered by between September 2014 and December 2014, which includes some in-fill (i.e. expanding coverage in areas where FTTC/P may already be present).

Tentative Phase 4 Upgrade Areas (Postcodes)

Beyton – Thurston Planche (IP31 3)
Boxford – Boxford, Leavenheath (CO10 5, CO6 4)
Bramfield (IP19 9)
Brampton – Station Road / Locks Road (NR34 8)
Bungay (NR35 1)
Clare – Clare, Stoke by Clare (CO10 8)
Cockfield Green (IP30 0)
Diss – Redgrave / Palgrave [Suffolk outskirts] (IP21 4)
Elmswell – Great Ashfield (IP31 3)
Felixstowe (IP11)
Glemsford (CO10 7)
Haverhill – Swan Lane Area (CB9 9)
Kentford – Freckenham, Red Lodge, Gazeley (IP28 8)
Kirton (IP10 0)
Lakenheath (IP27 9)
Lavenham – Hall Road Area (CO10 9)
Mildenhall – Mildenhall, Tuddenham, West Row, Beck Row, Icklingham (IP28 7, IP28 6, IP28 8)
Mendlesham (IP14 5)
Needham Market (IP6 8)
Nacton (IP10 0)
Occold (IP23 7)
Pakenham – Chruch Lane, Thurston (IP31 1)
Shottisham – Alderton Village (IP12 3)
Stanton (IP31 2)
Southwold – Walberswick (IP18 6)
Stowmarket – Stowupland Road, Stowmarket (IP14 5AG)
Witnesham – Weyland Road and North Witnesham, Tuddenham St Martin (IP6 9)
Wrentham (NR34 7)

The phase 4 plan was actually revealed just over a week ago but unfortunately it was embedded further down in a local newsletter and so the details went unnoticed by ISPreview.co.uk until now. Thankfully we spotted it during a routine check.

It’s worth pointing out that some parts of Suffolk, such as businesses in Lowestoft, have also been able to benefit from a limited deployment of BT’s ultrafast 330Mbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology.