Openreach, the UK’s leading digital network provider, is calling upon the residents and businesses of West Bretton near Wakefield to support an initiative aimed at bringing ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to the area.
This call to action comes with a warning: the community could miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to upgrade to full fibre if they fail to apply for free Government broadband vouchers. These vouchers not only unlock faster speeds but also greater reliability in internet connectivity.
Should a sufficient number of residents sign up, West Bretton will join the ranks of over 90,000 homes and businesses in the Wakefield area already benefiting from full fibre broadband.
Funding, made available through the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, along with the deployment of advanced broadband signal-boosting technology, opens the door for thousands of remote rural communities, including West Bretton, to access ultrafast broadband.
Openreach has identified West Bretton as a prime candidate for the Full Fibre upgrade and is urging local residents to take action by applying for and collectively pooling their free Government Gigabit Vouchers to support the network expansion.
Residents can easily determine their eligibility and pledge their vouchers through the Connect My Community website. These vouchers come at no cost to residents and serve as a crucial resource for Openreach to collaborate with the local community in building a customized, co-funded network. This approach allows for the extension of the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to outlying rural areas that may not be covered by private investment.
Matthew Lovegrove, Openreach’s regional engagement manager, expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity this presents to West Bretton. He emphasized the importance of collective effort and partnership in bringing the benefits of ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to the community.
Openreach’s Fibre Community Partnership programme has the potential to include hundreds of communities across the UK in Full Fibre build plans. However, reaching more challenging, remote locations remains a priority, underscoring the need for collaboration between residents, their neighbors, and Openreach.
The commitment to building full fibre broadband infrastructure extends across the UK, with a £15 billion investment aimed at reaching 25 million homes, including over six million in the most challenging regions. Government support through initiatives like the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is deemed essential to this nationwide upgrade.
