Ultrafast Broadband Project: Your questions answered

The recent announcement of a major milestone in a project to bring ultrafast broadband to all of Pembrokeshire has sparked big interest in the development.

Last month Pembrokeshire County Council announced that the first cabinets bringing gigabit-capable (1000mb per second) broadband are being installed to serve the first pilot areas of Dale, New Moat and Ambleston.

News of the major step forward in the Ultrafast Broadband Project has seen hundreds of people signing up to express an interest.

Understandably there has also been a rise in questions about the project and how it can create future-proof digital infrastructure for the county.

Here, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for the Economy, Cllr Paul Miller, answers some of the most frequently asked questions.

What is it all about?

We all know, that Pembrokeshire will never be the best connected place in the UK by road or rail. I do, however, believe it can be among the best digitally connected places in the country.

Even before Covid-19 the way people worked and learnt was changing. Covid-19 has supercharged that transformation and Pembrokeshire’s economy can ill afford to be in the digital slow lane.

Through this project we’re going to be bringing a fibre optic cable right to the front door of every rural Pembrokeshire home and business by 2023 and that’s going to guarantee everyone can access ‘gigabit’ internet speeds of at least 1000mb/s.

How do I get involved?

The first step is to get as many local residents and businesses to complete our survey at: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/broadband-survey

Spreading the word is vital to increase numbers.  Following us on social media such as via our Facebook page ‘Digital Pembrokeshire’ and Twitter @digitalpembs, sharing our posts with friends and neighbours will show huge improvements in sign-ups and consequently speed up the process.

The county has been divided into c.90 project areas and which areas we’ll chose to work with next is directly linked to the number of survey responses we’ve had in that area. Therefore, the more of your neighbours who complete the survey, the more quickly we’re likely to get to your community.

What if my internet is too poor to even complete the online survey?

Completing the survey takes just minutes online, but we understand that even tasks like this can be a challenge for those on extremely poor connections. 

A member of your community may be able to assist you, otherwise, one of our officers will be happy to complete the survey with you if you email your details to broadband@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Our website https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/broadband has been designed to work on low connections so you can even fill it out on your mobile phone

If you can’t get online feel free to contact the Council on 01437 764551 and a member of the team will get back to you.

Will it be fibre to the home or just to the cabinets?

This project will bring fibre all the way to the property (FTTP), which will maintain reliable ‘gigabit’ connections capable of 1000Mb per second speeds.

Will it cost me a lot more?

It might cost less than you think. The package offered by the supplier chosen in our four pilot areas was £19.99 a month for 100Mbps with unlimited usage. There is no installation fee.

I don’t use the internet much, my broadband is fine for me, why would I need such high speeds?

Needs are changing all the time. Take home schooling and the working from home revolution that has happened during Covid-19 for example.

Full Fibre is a way of futureproofing your broadband service, and self-funding an upgrade further down the line could be costly. An ultra-fast connection can also increase the value of your property and through this project it might even cost less than your current, much slower, service. It is vitally important that even those who may currently enjoy a good connection, sign up to the project so they don’t miss out.

I live in a remote village/down a long lane, can I still get involved?

Yes. This is a fully inclusive community by community project and we’ve been clear with suppliers that anyone who wants fibre in a project area needs to be connected as part of the project.

The UK Government’s voucher funding scheme means each project area can draw down  up to £3000 for each home connected and  up to £7000 for each business premises. Pooling this funding means we’re able to connect even the most remote communities and those single isolated premises down a long farm lane.

What do you mean ‘project areas’ – can you explain more?

We have broken the county up into 90 Project Areas, and are taking a phased approach. The first four project areas, Dale, New Moat, Ambleston and Crymych, are in the build stage. We are now actively engaging with the community in the next six project areas, Slebech, Wiston, Herbrandston, Nevern, Maenclochog and Llanycefn.

There after, the next areas will be announced and active engagement will start and so on. The more the communities rally together and create interest in the project (by completing and getting neighbours to complete our survey), the more viable the projects in those communities become.

Some towns don’t yet have fibre to the premises, why are you starting in less populated areas?

Those in urban areas might not have brilliant speeds but most do have passable speeds – and a significantly better service than those in the more rural areas of the county.

Towns are still included in the programme, apart from very few areas excluded from the voucher scheme because of their density, we’re just not working there first. We are also working with providers to encourage commercial roll out in those towns where it is viable without our support.

Why is the council getting involved?  What is their role in this?

While not technically an issue for Local Authorities I’ve always known we needed to make it our business.

Getting fast-fibre to every Pembrokeshire property will bring great benefits to our residents and businesses, and provide a welcome boost to the local economy. I believe digital connectivity is vital to ensuring the county is well placed to support enterprise and create jobs and wealth in the future.

Pembrokeshire will never be the best connected by road or rail but we can ensure we are one of the best connected digitally.

How is a supplier chosen?

The community will decide which supplier is most suitable for their area after quotes have been provided from Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) approved companies.

Support during this phase will be provided by the Council’s Broadband engagement team which has recently been expanded to ensure the projects keep moving forward.

I am already in a contract with my internet service provider, will I still be able to get full fibre?

The vast majority of us are currently in a contract with a provider for our broadband and telephone landlines, so this has been taken into consideration. Each supplier will have solutions outlined in their proposal and their bid, to enable every premises access to full fibre without residents incurring any financial penalty for switching. 

What about my phone line? It’s part of my current internet package.

There are other options to the traditional landline package. WIFI calling and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) are two possibilities.

We are committed to ensuring that anyone who wants to be part of this project can be, so please fill in the survey and we can discuss solutions. 

It is also worth mentioning that by December 2025, the traditional analogue phone network (the Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN) will no longer be supported and newer digital technologies will take its place. Those that are on an ADSL line will no longer have the function to make / receive calls.

How will it be installed and do I need to be there?

The suppliers are trying to install the fibre cables with as little disruption to communities as possible using existing infrastructure such as ducts and poles.

Ideally the cable will come into your property the same way as your copper telephone line. Once you have registered with the supplier they will survey your property for fitting.

Someone will need to let an engineer into the property to do the final fitting, this won’t take long and will follow any appropriate Covid regulations in place at that time.

Who will maintain the lines, cut trees etc?

This work will be down to the chosen supplier.

Where can I find further information?

Go to https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/broadband where there is far more information about the project including further frequently asked questions.