Cardiffians are missing out on the benefits of fibre broadband – despite many areas of the city having some of the best access in the UK. That is the message from Openreach, BT’s local access network business, and the company behind the roll out of fibre technology to the city.
Openreach has spent millions of pounds to ensure that Cardiff boasts some of the best access to modern broadband technology in the UK, but residents in some enabled areas of Cardiff are proving slow to adopt the service.
One notable exception is Whitchurch, where seven per cent of premises have already adopted the service in just eighteen months. This is one of the best adoption rates to date in the UK and significantly ahead of some other areas of the city.
Openreach is now partnering with the local city council to raise awareness of the service so that other parts of Cardiff catch up with Whitchurch in terms of using the service. Super fast broadband can boost local business productivity and transform peoples’ experience of using the internet and so local marketing initiatives are being launched.
These include awareness-raising stickers on the new fibre cabinets, radio promotions and the presence of new, fibre-liveried Openreach vans on the streets of Cardiff, all intended to drive the message home to residents.
Fibre broadband delivers speeds that are far in excess of those seen across the rest of the UK. Whilst the average broadband speed in the UK is 6.2Mb/s (according to a recent Ofcom report), Openreach’s investment means that many homes and businesses in Cardiff can instead enjoy speeds of up to 40Mb/s, with customers enjoying average download speeds of 31Mb/s and above. This is approximately five times faster than the UK average.
Cardiffians in enabled areas can also enjoy the fastest upload speeds in the UK. At speeds of up to 10Mb/s – and with customers experiencing average upload speeds of 8Mb/s – these are several times faster than those available elsewhere, enabling users to engage in collaborative working, upload video content, and send photographs in a fraction of the time.
Richard Hall, Openreach NGA Deployment Director for Wales said: “Cardiff has been given a head start by Openreach but some fibre-enabled parts of the city are proving to be a bit slow out of the blocks to take up the opportunities fibre presents. With the notable exception of Whitchurch, residents are proving slow to take advantage of the technology on their doorstep and so we are working with the local council to raise awareness and drive demand.
“Cities, towns and villages across the UK are clamouring for fibre broadband and look at Cardiff with envy. It would be shame if the city proved reluctant to be a digital leader but we are confident that, with the right encouragement, people will embrace the technology and never look back.”
