Broadband

The following two sites have details about the Council-Openreach Superfast Project:

Dorset Council’s Project Management Team

OpenReach (Contractor undertaking the work)

When fibre broadband does become available and you wish to upgrade, you will need to contact your existing internet service provider (ISP) or one of the alternative ISPs.

[Please note that although OpenReach is part of the BT Group, it has to operate at arms length from both BT Internet and all other ISPs so you will need to contact your internet service provider (or contact a new one) to benefit from fibre.]

 

3rd December 2015   YES!!!  The BW and the KM cabinets are now live and the BT databases updated, so provided you are served by one of these two cabinets, and within a mile of it (or maybe a bit more) you should be able upgrade to superfast broadband!  Get it by Christmas!!!

Just drop me an email if you have any questions…

 

QUICK UPDATE 29TH NOVEMBER 2015……….  The power connection to the BW cabinet is now live, and BT/OR engineers have been spotted working on the cabinet.  For those in KM, work was done to clear ducts a few days ago so hopefully (assuming all has gone well) their cabinet should be live within the next couple of weeks once the BT/OR databases are updated.

UPDATE 20th NOVEMBER 2015.  Sadly, no apparent progress over the last month in BW.  We know the power cable is not yet attached to the top of the power pole and we suspect there is still some fibre jointing required near Templecombe.  We have been told the BW superfast should be completed by Christmas but it could be a further week or two after that before BT Openreach databases (used by ISPs) are updated to show service as being available.  KM is similarly still awaiting some ducts to be cleared and this work is now scheduled later this month.

Chris W

UPDATE 15th OCTOBER 2015!!!!  THE NEW CABINET FOR BUCKHORN WESTON IS IN PLACE AND THE TRENCH FOR THE MAINS POWER IS BEING DUG!!!  Assuming all goes smoothly, it is possible that BW broadband subscribers who are on the 01963 Templecombe exchange may be able to upgrade to “Superfast fibre” within just a couple of more weeks!  Sorry to those nearby having to suffer the traffic lights and mess but it should only be for a short time!  The next step is likely to be Openreach engineers commissioning the cabinet.  Even though it’s been a long wait, it’s important to remember that this is a year earlier than originally promised.

UPDATE 12th October 2015: Still no signs of work starting although the BW work status on roadworks.org has changed from “advanced planning” to “work in progress” with a completion date of 22nd Oct, so watch out for some traffic lights and work near our cricket ground.  KM’s status is currently unclear.

UPDATE 22nd September 2015:  It’s all very frustrating as all indications keep getting put back week by week.  There seem to be blocked duct problems for KM so their date now looks to be mid October.  BW’s cabinet is still awaited, now expected around the same time: not sure about the mains power status at present….

UPDATE 23rd AUGUST 2015:   Still no “official” news but we know the KM fibre cabinet is installed and now awaiting the electricity board for power and some fibre connections, now re-scheduled for early September.  Buckhorn Weston’s fibre is in place but awaits a fibre cabinet to be fitted, and trenches for power ducting.  Provided there are no snags, we hope for official news in September about service dates.  Click here to see the official Dorset coverage map and zoom in for BW/KM: the green areas are due to be getting fibre in the coming weeks.

Many thanks to those who sorted out the problems with KM’s particular cabinet. 

There are a few properties (including ourselves in Bye) who are in the “yellow” zones who may not get improved speeds, and if this is a concern for you, do please contact me so we can make sure we are not totally forgotten!

If anyone wants to know if or how fibre/superfast broadband might benefit them, you are welcome to contact me.

Chris W    01963 370900

Remember that to get the superfast upgrade, you will need to contact your Internet Service Provider to amend your contract: this doesn’t happen automatically and the service will cost a little more.  If you’ve been unhappy with your present ISP, you might want to consider migrating (switching) to a different supplier.  For suggestions, you can follow the Dorset Council link and you might also want to check out some reviews with alternative ISPs, e.g. this 2015 review on the well established www.ISPReview.co.uk site.  Another good independent source for information and reviews is of course Which.  Finally, if your house telephone wiring is rather old (1980’s) or if extension sockets haven’t been added properly, you might need it updated before you get superfast: you need to have a BT Master Socket that looks like one of these…

  Chris W

 

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The Buckhorn Weston and surrounding area is on the margins of four telephone exchanges (two of which are in Somerset) which means wireline broadband is at best slow (less than 1 megabits per second  –  <1Mbps), is unreliable and often fails altogether.

Our hope for future improvements lie with a national “BDUK” programme which is being co-ordinated by local authorities on a county-wide basis.  On 10th June 2013, Dorset County Council and BT agreed a £31.75 million deal which promises to deliver fibre optic based services to 97 per cent of premises within three and a half years, with the intention that 100% should get at least 2 megabits per second  –  2Mbps.  This BDUK project covers around 25% of Dorset premises and complements the (now virtually completed) commercially driven roll-out of fibre-optic services in the major towns that cover 260,000 properties.

In simple terms, instead of broadband being delivered all the way by copper cables from the remote exchange (often 5 to 7 km away), superfast fibre optic will be laid between the exchange and a new green cabinet closer to your premises so your copper connection will be very much shorter – hopefully less than 1km so you can get the full superfast connection of at least 24Mbps.  Superfast Broadband is also increasingly referred to as “Fibre Broadband”, even though you are not being promised fibre all the way to your premises.

In order to ensure that our area receives its fair share of the upgrade, and to try to make sure your area is not left until last, it is essential that everyone, homes and businesses alike, all register their interest on Dorset County Council’s web site .

  PLEASE URGE FRIENDS, FAMILY, BUSINESSES, TO REGISTER!

The BDUK project is being rolled out in phases.  However not all lines within an area can ever be guaranteed to be upgraded (there are often technical issues encountered during the survey or the build that can delay or make it impossible to complete) but it is intended to achieve at least 2Mbps for virtually 100% of properties by the end of the 2016.   The first two phases covered 18,000 premises in areas south and west of North Dorset, reflecting the business reality that the upgrade programme would prioritise the more densely populated areas. 

In October 2014, Phase 3 was announced bringing good news for some 9,000 lucky homes and businesses in North Dorset who should get Superfast by Spring 2015 – very roughly half of the area in North Dorset.  Phase 3 covers a very large area centred on Sturminster Newton will make Superfast speeds accessible to many, extending from Blandford Forum to as far north as parts of Stalbridge, Marnell, Todber and Margaret Marsh.  A few small additional  areas in North Dorset are also to be included in Phase 3 such as Bourton and Silton, as well as parts of Gillingham and Shaftesbury which are not already being upgraded under BT’s own commercial (i.e. non-BDUK) programme.  The rest of North Dorset should be covered in later phases.

I am happy to try and answer any questions or concerns you might have, and I hope to provide occasional updates on progress.

Chris Wildey   01963 370900