Ultrafast Broadband

Project description

This is a Welsh Government project, enabled by support from the EU and UK Government. It is a project that aims to provide superfast coverage in hard to reach areas, where commercial roll-out is not economically viable. Like preceding projects in the ERDF 2007-2013 tranche, it aims to continue to establish a powerful, flexible, future-orientated communications infrastructure through the provision of a fibre to the cabinet-based access network across both East Wales (EW) and West Wales and the Valleys (WWV). The project also aims to provide universal affordable access to the services that citizens and businesses need, consequently underpinning the development of a digital Wales economy.

Delivery model

The project forms part of the strategic plan to deliver Ultrafast Broadband across Wales, viewed as critical to economic growth along with improving the quality of life for all residents in Wales.

It will utilise Fibre to the Premise technology (FTTP*) delivering access of at least 100 Mbps to premises, and juxtaposes with a further project, with the intention of delivering Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) of >30Mbps. Both projects seek to enable access to at least 96% of premises.

Independent testing of enabled premises ensures that speeds claimed by the delivery partner are monitored, helping to maximise value for money with payment made only on successful verifications.

* FTTP – fibre is laid all the way from the exchange to the customer premises, enabling symmetrical broadband services, typically of 100Mbit/s. There are two variants of FTTP: Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) and Point-to-Point (PTP). GPON technology is used to share a fibre line among several users, and PTP is used to provide an uncontended (dedicated) fibre line to a premise. GPON is more appropriate for residential, and small and medium business premises, whereas PTP is more appropriate for information intensive business premises. As expected, PTP technology is more expensive to deploy than GPON technology.

Geographical coverage

The project will benefit all local authority areas of Wales.

Essential eligibility criteria

The specific target groups expected to benefit from support under this project are both residential householders and businesses in Wales.  Speeds to be achieved must be at least 100Mbps+.  Those premises that are already included in commercial roll-out deployment will be deemed ineligible for the project.

Specific targets

The specific target for this project is: Additional population covered by Ultrafast broadband >100Mbps = 43,494 (EW) and 91,053 (WWV).

Contact details

Name: Vivien Collins - Project Manager
Email: NextGenerationBroadB1@gov.wales
Address: Welsh Government - Department for Economy, Science & Natural Resources, ICT Infrastructure Division, First Floor, Southgate House, Wood Street, Cardiff, CF10 1EW
Website:

Progress

Progress to end June 2017

As at the end of June 2017, the number of additional population covered by Ultrafast broadband >100Mbps, which is associated with this project, is 35,538 premises in EW and 58,101 premises in WWV.