Broadway Partners Build FTTP Broadband into Rural Powys

Rural broadband builder Broadway Partners (aka – UK ISP Broadway Broadband) appears to have extended their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) rollout in Wales to include rural communities in parts of Powys, starting with the small villages of Llanafan Fawr (population of 470+) and Llanwrthwl (population of 190+).

At present many of those living in the two communities complain of receiving slow broadband speeds and have spent the past 2 years campaigning for something better (although there is a little FTTC to be found in some parts). Now Broadway, which is already building a mix of fixed wireless and FTTP infrastructure in other parts of Wales (e.g. Monmouthshire), has agreed to help.

Sadly, it’s not known how much this rollout will cost, although the first customers on their new FTTP network in the two communities are expected to be connected sometime in 2021 (County Times). The operator has also confirmed that they’re planning a much bigger deployment across other parts of Powys in the near future.

Customers of this service typically pay from just £19.99 per month for their entry-level unlimited 50Mbps package with a free installation, which rises to £99.99 if you want their top gigabit (1000Mbps) plan.

Michael Armitage, CEO of Broadway Partners, said:

“Having delivered affordable, high-speed broadband services in other parts of the UK, including Monmouthshire and Pembrokeshire, we are delighted to now be working in rural Powys.

Having installed a super-fast broadband service to the residents of Llanafan Fawr and Llanwrthwl, we plan to expand our services further across Powys and encourage other communities suffering from poor internet access to get in touch.”

Going forwards Broadway have said that they aim to extend their “gigabit-capable … fibre” network to cover 500,000 homes and businesses by the end of 2022 (here).

UPDATE 6th October 2021

A recent project update for the Llanafan Fawr and Llanwrthwl Community Broadband Scheme suggests that the deployment, funded by gigabit vouchers from the UK and Welsh Governments, will cost a total of around £250,000 and cover 150 premises. The rollout is due to begin later this year.