North Swindon MP Welcomes Superfast Fibre Broadband Expansion By BT

Justin Tomlinson MP has welcomed the news that Openreach, BT’s local network business, is making high speed fibre broadband available to every home and business in Priory Vale, north Swindon – covering some 6500 premises, following a long-fought campaign on behalf of residents.

The news follows the company’s recent trial of new ‘plug and play’ Fibre-to-the Premises (FTTP) technology in the area, which saw around 500 homes gain access to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK.

The expansion of Openreach’s fibre network across Priory Vale will be achieved using a combination of technologies, with around 1000 homes and businesses gaining access to the new FTTP technology. It offers ultrafast speeds of up to 330 megabits per second (Mbps) – which are among the fastest speeds available in the UK.

The remaining 5,500 premises will get access to Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) technology, delivering superfast speeds of up to 80 Mbps. Work is due to start on building the network next month with the service available by next Spring.

The new fibre technology enables several people to stream high definition films, music or enjoy gaming in different parts of the home simultaneously. It improves online access to new professional opportunities such as research and job vacancies, and makes it easier to shop around for cheaper services. Most importantly, it enables everyone in the family to do what they want to do online, all at the same time.

As a result of the successful trials of Openreach’s new FTTP service in Priory Vale, customers can now be connected in a simple two-hour appointment.

Across Wiltshire more than 85% of homes and businesses can already place orders for fibre broadband thanks to investments by BT and partnerships with local and national government.

Openreach has built the largest fibre broadband network in the UK, already reaching more than 25 million premises, including small and medium businesses, sole traders and home workers. The company is still building the network to more homes and businesses, passing more than 25,000 premises with fibre technology every week.

Kim Mears, Openreach’s managing director for infrastructure delivery, said: “We’re delighted to be rolling-out fibre to every home and business in Priory Vale. We’ve already enjoyed a very successful trial of ‘plug-and-play’ FTTP technology and now have decided to carry out further major investment to expand our superfast and ultrafast broadband networks in this area. Having good fast connectivity to the internet is vital. It helps business to move, act and trade quickly and effectively. It enables schoolchildren to access their homework online, helps provide care for our elderly, as well as offering better access to e-commerce, social media and home entertainment. For all of these things, fast broadband is essential and Priory Vale will now be able to enjoy the benefits.”

Justin Tomlinson MP said; “This is a fantastic and vital announcement. For years I’ve worked with fellow local residents to push for access to superfast fibre broadband and we know from the successful pilots, demand will be very, very strong.  It is a credit to BT that they have worked with us to deliver this solution, a real welcome boost to our local community.

Paul Coles, South West regional manager for BT, said: “Residents and businesses in Priory Vale will now find out for themselves that whatever you do on the internet you can do it better with fibre broadband. For example, families who need to connect a number of different devices to the internet at the same time will notice an immediate improvement, while small businesses and homeworkers will be able to share information and large files more easily and quickly with their colleagues and customers.”