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Progress Update for Wales Full Fibre Broadband Rollout with BT

Sunday, May 31st, 2020 (12:01 am) - Score 8,711
wales map point uk

The Welsh Government (WG) has issued their first quarterly progress update on the £22.5m Phase 2 contract they have with Openreach (BT), which aims to extend gigabit-capable “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband to a further 26,000 premises by March 2021 (here and here). So far 8,283 rural premises have been completed.

The Next Generation Broadband Wales (Superfast Cymru) contract itself is actually focused upon upgrading the remaining areas (mostly remote rural ones), which means those that cannot currently receive a “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) speed – currently understood to reflect roughly 4% of premises (homes and businesses) across Wales.

Sadly 26,000 premises only represents a small part of the remaining gap, but at least it’s progress and the use of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology is welcome. Nevertheless the last Open Market Review (OMR) in late 2019 – responsible for examining existing and future coverage over the next 3 years (here) – revealed that a total of 96,111 premises were still classified as needing future intervention.

However one thing we haven’t had since the Phase 2 deployment began last year is an update on its progress. The good news is that the WG has this week responded to a question by Russell George (MWP for Montgomeryshire) with one of their first quarterly progress updates up to the end of March 2020.

Overall Openreach informed the WG that 8,283 premises have now been given access to full fibre connectivity under the latest contract. All of these premises are subject to further assurance by the WG and so far 4,194 have been checked through this process (this work is ongoing).

wales_Phase_2_openreach_fttp_rollout_march_2020

As usual it’s important to remember that Openreach have continued to deliver the new network despite significant disruption being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through March and onwards. The good news is that a lot of network operators are now adapting to the problems caused by lockdown related restrictions and so the pace of build – across the UK – is gradually getting back on track. Credits to one of our readers (Steve) for spotting the update.

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Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and .
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Comments
33 Responses
  1. Avatar photo Alan Perkins says:

    This roll out of fibre broadband is a joke. We’ve had a roll of cable on the pole near us for nearly five years. We are still no nearer getting fast broadband. BT website thinks we are fibre enabled but nobody wants it. Despite people telling them we can’t get it and we do want it. They typically massage the figures to make things sound better than they are. Instead of paying for a possible broadband speed, that isn’t possible at all, We should pay for what we get. So if its 20 pounds for 20mbps and you only get three mbps then you should pay 3 pounds. That would give them an incentive to upgrade the system.

    1. Avatar photo Summer Is Here says:

      Whenever I have raised the same charging structure suggestion with broadband enthusiasts I have been told its your fault for not living closer to the cabinet/exchange….crazy

    2. Avatar photo Fastman says:

      so you think they that every one who gets FTTP should be paying £100 per month and if you got 100meg you would be willing to pay the same then
      just an aside openreach who upgrade the network only get the line rental amount per month (or something close to it)

    3. Avatar photo 125us says:

      It actually provides an incentive for ISPs to just say they can’t serve you at all. The cost of provision is the same – why would they sell a service to you at a loss?

    4. Avatar photo Jonathan says:

      You could try for a FTTP on demand order in, and pay for the survey. If the kit is mostly in place it should be a cheap quote. It will be more expensive than native FTTP but cheaper than a new kitchen and probably add more value to your home.

  2. Avatar photo Fastman says:

    so you think they that every one who gets FTTP should be paying £100 per month and if you got 100meg you would be willing to pay the same then

    just an aside openreach who upgrade the network only get the line rental amount per month (or something close to it)

    1. Avatar photo Sandra says:

      I can’t get anything but ADSL and I live in the middle of a city. So I pay £293 a month to get 100/100. I was lucky there were on install or build charges.

  3. Avatar photo NE555 says:

    “BT website thinks we are fibre enabled” – which website exactly?

    If https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/ says you can get fibre, you can order it now.

    Of course, there’s “fibre” (FTTP) and there’s “fibre” (FTTC/VDSL). If it’s the latter you have, then the speed you get depends on how far you are from the cabinet, and the broadband checker will tell you what range of speeds you can expect.

    If you are getting substantially less than 24Mbps then you should eventually be in line for an upgrade to FTTP – but don’t hold your breath. If you are getting less than 10Mbps then you can go to BT right now and ask them to make you a service offer under the Universal Service Obligation (USO). If you’re lucky, that might even kick them into finding the coiled-up fibre and finishing the job.

  4. Avatar photo Rob says:

    I think the demand isn’t there. There’s a few techies that want super high speed but I believe most people use broadband as a tool for everyday stuff. FTTP is in my area but just looking at the take-up suggests the market isn’t there.
    But it does make sense as a replacement for life expired kit. I’m quite happy on my 3 mobile broadband and I believe mobile broadband is the way forward for “normal” use.

    1. Avatar photo Usk says:

      I disagree – the demand is there. And just because an area is “enabled” doesn’t mean they can order and get a FTTP service.

      There could be a number of reasons eg ISP’s may not sell FTTP and say to customers “you can’t get fibre” to cases where Openreach’s FTTP subcontractors may have made a mess, an order either doesn’t go through or takes months or years to complete.

      In some counties where Openreach has some competion, it would seem there’s more take up, almost like Openreach have gone to the effort to make sure “enabled” means just that…. check out the take up of FTTP in Monmouthshire against other counties in Wales, it paints an interesting picture, and one wonders why?

  5. Avatar photo Matthew says:

    I think this is a good thing it is a shame the money wasn’t there for this contract to fufill all the premises but the upcoming 5 Billion should push this even further.

    Getting Closer is best for these rural areas.

  6. Avatar photo Sjb says:

    I live 300 yard from my exchange that got left out of the upgrade for the rest of the village I am near, and there are a lot of ya wanting it in the area and a massive industrial estate that is also on the same exchange as me, we were told for four year we were getting it to then be told we have to find it and there are no future plans to upgrade us, well when we lose copper cable we won’t even be able to have a landline anymore, and they would make so much money with the fact that they would be connecting about 700 properties to the exchange and that’s a lot of money for them to cash in on

    1. Avatar photo Fastman says:

      who says you losing the copper cable-? your view that’s a lot of money for them to cash in on. my question why did it get missed out in the first place – I assume because its not good value for money for it to be done — so not sure who would cash in and on what — don’t forget openreach only gets the line rental (or something close it I think) – so if all those people are currently buying an ADSL service today and then buy a fibre one tomorrow – there still buying a service – so what are they cashing in on

  7. Avatar photo CalvinH says:

    I live in Wrexham, the second largest rollout in the group and i can say for certain a large amount of that 1,140 properties is the new developments going on at the moment. Just another pointless BT submitted news piece.

    1. Avatar photo CarlT says:

      New builds being built with FTTP from the beginning aren’t going to feature in these numbers.

    2. Avatar photo Alex says:

      Literally the first sentence says “The Welsh Government (WG) has issued their first quarterly progress update” so how exactly is this “BT submitted”?! Embarrassing.

    3. Avatar photo CalvinH says:

      “Literally the first sentence says “The Welsh Government (WG) has issued their first quarterly progress update” so how exactly is this “BT submitted”?! Embarrassing.”

      First sentence of paragraph 5 states…
      “Overall Openreach informed the WG that 8,283 premises have now been given access to full fibre connectivity under the latest contract.”

      So it is BT Openreach figures that were submitted to the Welsh Government. Perhaps you should read beyond the first sentence in future…. Embarrassing indeed.

    4. Avatar photo Andrew Ferguson says:

      The figures may have come from BT, but Welsh Gov is meant to verify them and based on what I know about new build premises (from the thinkbroadband tracking) the figures in this article are not counting new homes as you asserted.

    5. Avatar photo Alex says:

      CalvinH – so what exactly is “pointless” about BT reporting progress to Welsh Government on a publicly subsidised project?

    6. Avatar photo Orville says:

      You are right Calvin. Wrexham has also been a massive waste of millions of tax payers pounds as many properties and projects overlap with the VM rollout which started and were announced as far back as 2016.

      Near the start of Phase 2 and Lot 2 which is Wrexham an MP or councillor from memory tried to get details of what addresses would be covered which was refused. So i have no idea how Andrew or anyone think he knows exactly which properties are covered and that none are new build when actual addresses of properties covered as far as i know has never been provided. The only people which would have any idea of whats being connected it those living in the area.

      The most recent activity from BT appears to be connecting up new rental apartments and cheap new housing on the outer of Wrexham. The inner centre of Wrexham is flooded with Fibre from earlier phases and VM rollouts.

      BT also have just connected the newly built wing of the hospital, but have not done the rest of the older departments which are literally next door to each other. Its been all over the local press about how the older department keeps losing connectivity and has for years whilst the new hospital build BT connected up.

      This is like so many BT news items. It is as close to a fib as you can get without actually fibbing, the organisation should become a political party rather than a network developer.

    7. Avatar photo CalvinH says:

      “CalvinH – so what exactly is “pointless” about BT reporting progress”

      Your question is pointless, because you did not even read enough to realise it was BT submitted figures to begin with and not government. As to BT figures, they are like you reporting snippets of what you read rather than the full article. IE selective. I guess the only difference is unlike myself which spotted and call out your mistake the government just go along with whatever BT submit to them.

      @Andrew There is no detailed report, breakdown or public info what i know of on what are new developments and old homes. BT do not release that info if they do then feel free to publish it here to demostrate the 1,140 premises for Wrexham is NO new build. If you do not think new build make up any of the figures i suggest you take a look at the Pen-Y-Bryn area which has had government subsidised properties recently built complete with funding for FTTP, currently being rented and sold by WREXRENT Property Rentals among others in the Wrexham area. Helps if you live in the place to know more about what is going on.

      @Orville
      The chap you are thinking of is Russel George who wrote to the Welsh government trying to extract more details about properties by constituency which were being connected, he never got a straight response beyond a bunch of meaningless numbers just like this news item. You are also correct about the hospital down near the brook/brook rd area and BT only bothering to hook a couple of their buildings up despite promises dating back to 2018 they would connect it all if subsidises were forth coming, gets a write up every month or so in the local rag.

    8. Avatar photo Fastman says:

      please advise what relevance BT connecting wing of a hospital proba part of a NHS contract with Ethernet and (which was probably a recent request from NHSdue to current situation) and then the rant “BT also have just connected the newly built wing of the hospital, but have not done the rest of the older departments which are literally next door to each other. Its been all over the local press about how the older department keeps losing connectivity and has for years whilst the new hospital build BT connected up.
      This is like so many BT news items. It is as close to a fib as you can get without actually fibbing, the organisation should become a political party rather than a network developer” – – unbelievable – you could not make it up

    9. Avatar photo alex says:

      “what relevance BT connecting wing of a hospital proba part of a NHS contract with Ethernet and (which was probably a recent request from NHSdue to current situation)”

      Obviously not as one poster says they have been waiting years and the other points out they have been waiting since 2018.

      The rest of your post is barely intelligible.

    10. Avatar photo Orville says:

      Unfortunately The Wrexham post/Daily Post no longer has its own website, it has been amalgamated/rebranded into North Wales Live which happened at the end of last year. It is now full of ads, has missing stories and links to other pointless non-welsh news and celeb rubbish. Many news items not only broadband related but very local specific which are published in print are not on there, pretty much like any small local newspaper nowadays. But im sure you knew that already.

      As to your other post i could not make head nor tail of it.

  8. Avatar photo Gareth Lacy says:

    My house is 600m from the nearest fiber line … Why leave me out, I’m in rural Denbighshire. I’ve now gone LTE network and purchased my out quality equipment, as paying £25 for ADSL 8mb is criminal when there are fiber packages for less.. Joke

  9. Avatar photo Peter Robinson says:

    We live in Connah’s Quay.Flintshire. We are not against “Fibre Broadband” but we ARE AGAINST the way it is being delivered. Blighting the area with 30ft high telegraph poles and overhead cables is NOT the answer when all other utilities are underground. This is not acceptable.

    1. Avatar photo Fastman says:

      so undergrounding is significantly more expensive and means you might not get covered is that preferred then ?

      im certainly aware of areas where Premises now not covered due to pole objections and other issues around the country –

    2. Avatar photo alex says:

      I wonder what happens to money when they fail fulfil a contract to connect an area?

  10. Avatar photo Sarnau says:

    Ceredigion here fibre on pole for 2 years not connected. Curre tlynon 1.9mb internet and where we live there is no phone signal.
    You guys have it easy
    Oh and ive emailed the mp numerous times and nothing gets done

  11. Avatar photo Simon Hughes says:

    We just managed to get BT/Openreach to instal FTTP across 200 m of field in rural Powys. We had to agree to a hefty charge, but it was a fraction of the full cost of installation. Here are some facts that we did not know and were not explicitly told before the installation process.

    1. At present, we have been transferred onto ‘Fibre with BT Halo 1’. This is named 74 mbps download, 20 mbps upload but that means nothing. The ‘Stay fast Guarantee’ speed is 34 mbps.

    2. We actually get ~12-40 mbps download speed depending on which checker one uses and time of day.

    3. We are only able to get fibre optic broadband from BT; its a monopoly.

    4. We still need the copper wire for the landline.

    5. We will pay £34.99 per month from 1 July 2020 which includes landline rental but no calls.

    In my view it should be compulsory that before anything is agreed over the phone a full diwritten disclosure document about what will and will not happen post-installation should be supplied to the customer.

    1. Mark-Jackson Mark Jackson says:

      Did Openreach say you could only get it from BT? Since that’s rubbish. There are various FTTP providers that you can use on Openreach’s network.

      https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/08/consumer-isp-choices-on-openreachs-uk-fttp-broadband-network.html

      You also don’t strictly need to keep that copper line for a phone service now. Most Openreach FTTP ISPs now sell the service as a data only product and BT also does a Digital Voice solution that uses the fibre, but you could also just scrap the copper line and take a separate VoIP product.

      In terms of the service speed, if you subscribed to FTTP via the 74Mbps tier and only get 12-40Mbps any they refuse to rectify that then I’d switch ISP at the end of your contract as it’s most likely a capacity problem.

    2. Avatar photo Andrew Wakelin says:

      SIMON HUGHES – I am also in rural Powys and BT/Openreach have fibre passing within 140m, on a pole with two drop cables already in place for myself and my neighbours. It has been there for several years. I get passed back and forth between BT and Openreach, who both claim that FTTP is not available and we are too far from the cabinet for FTTC. Would you mind sharing how you managed to get a quote for installation?

Comments are closed

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