Superfast Broadband
Superfast broadband arrived in the Parish in 2016 when Openreach provided fibre to the local cabinets (FTTC) with the last link to homes still being the old copper wires. This provides speeds up to 80Mbps but properties even just a few 100m from their local cabinet will only see speeds of 30Mbps or less.
Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) have contracted Airband to provide Ultrafast broadband in the Parish with speeds up to 1,000Mbps by providing fibre directly to the premises (FTTP). There has been much uncertainty as to which properties are, and which are not, included in the CDS contract and Village Voice has provided periodic updates on the situation.
Chris White, the Thurlestone Parish Broadband Champion, has written two recent articles which are reproduced below. The first is an article from the June-July 2022 issue of Village Voice which ends with a list of properties which are 'in contract' and should receive a Superfast broadband connection from Airband. The second article from the August-September 2022 issue provides an update to the first article and ends with a list of properties which are potentially in the 'commercial contract'.
Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) have contracted Airband to provide Ultrafast broadband in the Parish with speeds up to 1,000Mbps by providing fibre directly to the premises (FTTP). There has been much uncertainty as to which properties are, and which are not, included in the CDS contract and Village Voice has provided periodic updates on the situation.
Chris White, the Thurlestone Parish Broadband Champion, has written two recent articles which are reproduced below. The first is an article from the June-July 2022 issue of Village Voice which ends with a list of properties which are 'in contract' and should receive a Superfast broadband connection from Airband. The second article from the August-September 2022 issue provides an update to the first article and ends with a list of properties which are potentially in the 'commercial contract'.
Village Voice Article June - July 2022
To remind you, Airband have been contracted by Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) to bring Gigabit capable Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) to our Parish, with a completion date which is currently Autumn, or maybe the end of the year.
The situation that we find ourselves in regarding this contract is far from ideal, and is the result of a decision taken by CDS in 2015, to bring Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) to the Parish. The coverage provided by FTTC was patchy, to say the least, but the driving factor behind the latest contract is the download speed that individual premises currently achieve in theory, if not in practice.
CDS carried out a desktop survey of the Parish, and any property which can theoretically receive 30mbps download, or more, is excluded from the contract with Airband. Apart from the fact that this creates FTTP coverage for the Parish which is just as patchy as the original FTTC coverage, it has also produced numerous anomalies, whereby one property is included in the contract, and the house next door isn’t. This situation is made worse by the fact that FTTC Broadband speed is heavily dependent on the quality of each individual line between the cabinet and the property, so the theoretical speed, based on distance from the FTTC cabinet, can bear little relation to the actual speed achieved, leading to more anomalies.
A classic example of the sort of anomaly that has arisen is the Downs, where three flats are included in the contract, and the rest aren’t – and they’re all in the same building.
There is a limited amount that you, the end users, can do about this. If your property is excluded from the contract, but you are within 70-75m of a Distribution Point on the new fibre network, then it is likely that you will be able to have your property connected. So, where are the new cables and Distribution Points going to be, I hear you ask? Sorry, they won’t tell us as it’s “Commercially sensitive information”.
The best we can do is to ask you to (go to this page and see file below), with the list of all the properties that are included in the contract - it’s too long to include in the magazine. If your property is on the list, then you will get a connection. You are not under any obligation to make use of it, but if you want to, then use Airband’s Broadband Coverage Checker https://www.airband.co.uk/broadband-coverage-checker/ to find your property and register your interest.
If your property is not on the list, but it is close to other properties that are on the list, and you would like a connection, then the route is the same. Use the Coverage Checker to register your interest, and Airband should pick this up. If, in addition to not being on the list, you have a “Superfast” Broadband contract, and still receive less than 30mbps download speed, then I suggest that you also contact your Devon County Councillor, Rufus Gilbert, to make sure that your request is not missed [email protected].
If your property isn’t near any properties that are included in the Contract, then it’s likely that you’ve missed out on the CDS lottery this time. However, there’s no harm in registering an interest anyway. It is clear from emails that I have received from Airband, that at one time, they were seriously considering a project to connect a lot more properties, at their own expense. Sadly, as they are now several months behind schedule on their contract, it’s also clear from a conversation I’ve had, and a Webinar I’ve attended, that CDS are putting them under severe pressure to stick to the contracted properties only, to try and ensure that they don’t fall any further behind schedule. However, the more interest we show, the more likely it is that they will come back
To remind you, Airband have been contracted by Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) to bring Gigabit capable Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) to our Parish, with a completion date which is currently Autumn, or maybe the end of the year.
The situation that we find ourselves in regarding this contract is far from ideal, and is the result of a decision taken by CDS in 2015, to bring Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) to the Parish. The coverage provided by FTTC was patchy, to say the least, but the driving factor behind the latest contract is the download speed that individual premises currently achieve in theory, if not in practice.
CDS carried out a desktop survey of the Parish, and any property which can theoretically receive 30mbps download, or more, is excluded from the contract with Airband. Apart from the fact that this creates FTTP coverage for the Parish which is just as patchy as the original FTTC coverage, it has also produced numerous anomalies, whereby one property is included in the contract, and the house next door isn’t. This situation is made worse by the fact that FTTC Broadband speed is heavily dependent on the quality of each individual line between the cabinet and the property, so the theoretical speed, based on distance from the FTTC cabinet, can bear little relation to the actual speed achieved, leading to more anomalies.
A classic example of the sort of anomaly that has arisen is the Downs, where three flats are included in the contract, and the rest aren’t – and they’re all in the same building.
There is a limited amount that you, the end users, can do about this. If your property is excluded from the contract, but you are within 70-75m of a Distribution Point on the new fibre network, then it is likely that you will be able to have your property connected. So, where are the new cables and Distribution Points going to be, I hear you ask? Sorry, they won’t tell us as it’s “Commercially sensitive information”.
The best we can do is to ask you to (go to this page and see file below), with the list of all the properties that are included in the contract - it’s too long to include in the magazine. If your property is on the list, then you will get a connection. You are not under any obligation to make use of it, but if you want to, then use Airband’s Broadband Coverage Checker https://www.airband.co.uk/broadband-coverage-checker/ to find your property and register your interest.
If your property is not on the list, but it is close to other properties that are on the list, and you would like a connection, then the route is the same. Use the Coverage Checker to register your interest, and Airband should pick this up. If, in addition to not being on the list, you have a “Superfast” Broadband contract, and still receive less than 30mbps download speed, then I suggest that you also contact your Devon County Councillor, Rufus Gilbert, to make sure that your request is not missed [email protected].
If your property isn’t near any properties that are included in the Contract, then it’s likely that you’ve missed out on the CDS lottery this time. However, there’s no harm in registering an interest anyway. It is clear from emails that I have received from Airband, that at one time, they were seriously considering a project to connect a lot more properties, at their own expense. Sadly, as they are now several months behind schedule on their contract, it’s also clear from a conversation I’ve had, and a Webinar I’ve attended, that CDS are putting them under severe pressure to stick to the contracted properties only, to try and ensure that they don’t fall any further behind schedule. However, the more interest we show, the more likely it is that they will come back
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Click on the file to open it and see which properties are 'in contract' --->>
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Village Voice Article August - September 2022
The article in the last Edition, was written in the light of the best information available at the time. But the Superfast Broadband situation is changing as fast as, well, Superfast broadband ! It is now clear that Airband are still looking into the possibility of a large Commercial project in the Parish (i.e. at their own expense, and in addition to the project paid for by CDS). This is very good news for those that would like to join the Fibre revolution, but were left out of the CDS contract. However, it is not yet certain whether this Commercial project will proceed, and this is where you come in.
In the last Edition there was a link to a page on the Parish website, where you could find a list of all the properties that were included in the CDS contract (see above). This time, you will find below, a link to (this page) where you will find a list of all the properties that are included in the potential Commercial project. If you are interested in the potential of Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) Broadband then it is important that you register that interest on Airband’s website - the more people that register an interest, the more likely it is that the project will proceed.
Remember, this isn’t about “well I get a fast enough service for my needs already”. It’s about the fact that if your property isn’t connected by FTTP, then it’s connected by an ancient BT copper cable, which is well past its sell by date, and frankly, life expired. The BT copper cable will have to be replaced at some point, but who knows when that will be. A top class Internet connection is already one of the major selling points for a house, so we mustn’t be left behind in the Rural desert. We have a chance to rectify that, by acting now.
To see if you’re on the list of properties for the Commercial project, go to (this page and see file below). To register your interest in FTTP, go to www.airband.co.uk, enter your Postcode into the Check Availability box, and follow the instructions.
The article in the last Edition, was written in the light of the best information available at the time. But the Superfast Broadband situation is changing as fast as, well, Superfast broadband ! It is now clear that Airband are still looking into the possibility of a large Commercial project in the Parish (i.e. at their own expense, and in addition to the project paid for by CDS). This is very good news for those that would like to join the Fibre revolution, but were left out of the CDS contract. However, it is not yet certain whether this Commercial project will proceed, and this is where you come in.
In the last Edition there was a link to a page on the Parish website, where you could find a list of all the properties that were included in the CDS contract (see above). This time, you will find below, a link to (this page) where you will find a list of all the properties that are included in the potential Commercial project. If you are interested in the potential of Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) Broadband then it is important that you register that interest on Airband’s website - the more people that register an interest, the more likely it is that the project will proceed.
Remember, this isn’t about “well I get a fast enough service for my needs already”. It’s about the fact that if your property isn’t connected by FTTP, then it’s connected by an ancient BT copper cable, which is well past its sell by date, and frankly, life expired. The BT copper cable will have to be replaced at some point, but who knows when that will be. A top class Internet connection is already one of the major selling points for a house, so we mustn’t be left behind in the Rural desert. We have a chance to rectify that, by acting now.
To see if you’re on the list of properties for the Commercial project, go to (this page and see file below). To register your interest in FTTP, go to www.airband.co.uk, enter your Postcode into the Check Availability box, and follow the instructions.
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Click on the file to open it and see which properties are potentially in the 'commercial contract' --->>
Please note that this file is provided exactly as it was received. Some addresses are complete, others less so. |
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