A significant number of Torbay residents and businesses have yet to seize the benefits of Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband, with only around 18 percent having made the upgrade despite its widespread availability.
Following a substantial local investment of £16 million, engineers have been diligently building the network to deliver ultrafast broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second (Gbps) to people living and working across Torbay, including Torquay, St Marychurch, Shiphay, Chelston, Brixham, and Paignton.
Openreach’s Full Fibre network, which is utilized by prominent providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and Zen, is now accessible to more than 55,000 premises in the area.
Full Fibre broadband not only offers enhanced speed but also provides greater reliability, resilience, and future-proof connectivity. It boasts fewer faults, more consistent speeds, and the capacity to accommodate multiple devices simultaneously.
In light of the competitive pricing of packages from various broadband providers, individuals may end up paying a similar or even lower monthly fee than their current bill, while enjoying a significantly improved service.
Martin Williams, Openreach’s regional director for the South West, emphasized the transformative impact of fast and reliable Full Fibre broadband, particularly as people continue to adapt to remote work and daily life during the pandemic. He underscored that upgrades do not occur automatically and that individuals need to proactively contact their broadband provider and place orders to take advantage of this technology.
Williams also noted that Openreach’s engineering build is ongoing across the South West, with a commitment to delivering exceptional service to residents. He highlighted the future-proof nature of this network, designed to meet evolving bandwidth demands and withstand unforeseen challenges for decades to come.
Once an order is placed with a service provider, an Openreach engineer will visit the premises on an agreed-upon day. They will install a new fibreoptic cable, connecting it from underground or a nearby pole to a small junction box on the exterior wall of the building. A smaller cable will run from the exterior wall to an inside unit, ideally located near a double electricity socket. The engineer will conduct a final test before leaving to ensure the connection is operational.
Openreach has unveiled plans to invest in Full Fibre broadband for the majority of premises in numerous towns and villages across the South West, including Dartmouth, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, and Totnes. This initiative aligns with the company’s broader goal of reaching 25 million UK homes and businesses with Full Fibre broadband by the end of 2026.
