Openreach, the UK’s leading digital network provider, is extending an invitation to the residents of Llanuwchllyn and Clynnog Fawr in Gwynedd to embrace the chance to usher in ultrafast and ultra-reliable full fibre broadband for their local homes and businesses.
This rallying call comes with a warning that these communities could potentially miss out on a rare opportunity for a full fibre upgrade unless they seize the initiative and apply for free UK Government broadband vouchers. These vouchers hold the key to securing faster speeds and heightened reliability in internet connectivity.
Should a sufficient number of residents heed this call, both rural villages will join the ranks of approximately 30,000 homes and businesses across Gwynedd that already enjoy access to full fibre broadband.
Residents can swiftly verify their eligibility and make their pledge for a voucher by visiting the Connect My Community website.
The funding allocated through the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, coupled with the deployment of innovative broadband signal amplification technology, has expanded the reach of full fibre networks. Consequently, it brings the promise of ultrafast broadband to thousands of remote rural communities that were previously beyond its grasp.
Openreach has identified Llanuwchllyn and Clynnog Fawr as strong candidates for Full Fibre broadband and urges their residents to progress to the next stage by applying for and collectively pooling free UK Government Gigabit Vouchers. This pooling approach helps in financing the infrastructure build-out.[1]
The use of these vouchers comes at no expense to residents and facilitates Openreach in collaborating with local communities to create a bespoke, co-funded network. Such an approach extends the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to properties in more remote rural areas that might otherwise be excluded from private investments.
Martin Williams, Openreach’s Partnership Director for Wales, expressed his enthusiasm for this opportunity and the benefits it could bring to these communities. Williams emphasized that Openreach’s Fibre Community Partnership program has the potential to incorporate hundreds of additional communities across Wales and the wider UK into their Full Fibre plans. However, he acknowledged the challenges in extending the network to more remote locations, highlighting the importance of cooperation between residents, neighbors, and Openreach.
Williams stated, “Everyone who pledges a voucher will be doing their bit to help make both communities among the best-connected places in the UK.”
Openreach is in the midst of a £15 billion investment to expand full fibre broadband access to 25 million homes, with over six million of these being in the most challenging areas of the UK. Government support plays a pivotal role in achieving this ambitious objective.
Once the target number of pledges for the scheme is reached, residents must proceed to validate their vouchers with the UK Government. This crucial step will enable Openreach to initiate the construction work required to bring ultrafast broadband to these communities. As part of the funding conditions, residents are encouraged to commit to subscribing to a full fibre service from a provider of their choice for at least 12 months once the new network becomes available and confirm their connection.
