20,000 Constable Country premises to get gigabit-capable broadband
Approximately 20,000 premises across fifteen villages in Constable Country on the Suffolk/Essex border are set to receive gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband as part of a rollout by ISP County Broadband.
The premises will be added to County Broadband’s ongoing rollout, through which it is connecting 150 East Anglia villages to its new FTTP network. County Broadband has not provided a concrete timeframe for its Constable Country rollout, but said that networks could be live by Christmas 2022.
The villages on the Suffolk/Essex border that have been added to County’s FTTP rollout are: Bentley; Brantham; Capel St. Mary; Copdock and Washbrook; East Bergholt; Higham; Holton St. Mary; Layham; Leavenheath; Nayland-with-Wissington; Polstead; Raydon; Stoke-by-Nayland; Stratford St. Mary; and Wenham Magna.
County Broadband has said that its engagement teams will host public meetings and online webinars in each village over the next few months, in order to answer questions from the community and explain the rollout process.
County Broadband’s Director of Sales and New Territories James Salmon said: “The pandemic has shown just how crucial having fast and reliable internet has become, and while people might have been happy with 40 to 50 Mbps speeds yesterday, that is no longer sufficient today, let alone next year. Our increasing internet consumption continues to grow and as more speed is available, more technology will use it.”
“The harsh reality, especially in rural areas, is that broadband supplied over copper cables is simply too slow, too unreliable and it seriously limits what people can do – from home entertainment to flexible and home working.”
Salmon added: “Installing new infrastructure on this scale is a complex task, requiring significant planning and can take time to deliver. It involves the coordination of highways, landowners, civils works and advanced fibre optic engineering. Designing and building this multi-million-pound rural infrastructure takes around 12-18 months, meaning the full-fibre networks could be live by Christmas 2022.”
