Cable giant Virgin Media UK has announced that it is teaming up with Surf Telecoms, a Western Power Distribution company, to trial the use of electricity poles in delivering superfast fibre optic broadband internet access and TV services to homes in the Welsh village of Crumlin (Caerphilly).

At present residents of Crumlin are forced to rely on BT's copper infrastructure for their broadband, although they will now be able to get speeds of up to 50Mbps and Virgin Media's TV service, including around 5,000 hours of catch up TV and on demand content. The trial itself will start next month and is scheduled to run into 2011.


The agreement with Surf Telecoms is claimed to mark the first use of existing commercial infrastructure to aerially deliver ultrafast broadband to a community currently beyond the reach of a fibre optic network. Elsewhere BT plans to use telegraph poles to help extend the reach of its future 100Mbps FTTP service too.


Virgin Media originally began trialling aerial deployment in the Berkshire village of Woolhampton during March by using purpose-built infrastructure (here). The efforts are all part of the cable giants previously announced plans to extend its cable network to reach 500,000 new build homes (original 2009 news) over the next few years.

It's noted by Surf Telecoms Policy Manager, Richard Doble, that Western Power Distribution's electricity infrastructure currently reaches over 2.5 million homes across South West England and South and West Wales. The suggestion is that this trial could one day bring Virgin Media's superfast broadband to many more customers.