£30 million ultrafast broadband boost for south Wales

More than 87,000 additional homes and businesses across south Wales are a step closer to a major broadband boost thanks to a £30million investment by Openreach – the UK’s largest digital network provider, used by more than 660 service providers including the likes of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen.

People living and working in communities across south Wales are due to be upgraded following the company’s latest build announcement, with a new, ultrafast, ultra-reliable ‘full fibre’ broadband network being built to most premises in Bridgend, Port Talbot, Neath, Gorseinon, Skewen, Briton Ferry and Seven Sisters.

The news comes as the digital network provider announces it has already reached more than 6 million homes and businesses across the UK with Ultrafast Full Fibre, including around 400,000 properties in Wales.

The latest plans are a further boost for Wales as they follow news earlier this year that hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses would be getting access to Openreach’s new network, including tens of thousands in rural and harder to serve areas of the country including Abersoch, Bethesda, Borth, Cardigan, Nefyn, Nelson, Narberth, Llantwit Major & Kidwelly.

Welcoming the announcement Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters said: “The importance of fast reliable broadband has become even more apparent utility and we welcome this investment as a key part of the market effort to boost connections across South Wales”.

Connie Dixon, Openreach’s regional director for Wales, said: “Good connectivity is vital – whether it’s to work from home, access education and care services, or for gaming and streaming entertainment – and that’s why we’re investing across the UK to upgrade our network to 25 million premises.”

“Nobody’s building faster, further or to a higher standard across Wales and the rest of the UK than Openreach, and we’ve already reached six million homes and businesses with ultrafast full fibre technology, including around 400,000. It’s proving popular as well, with around 23% already choosing to start using it.

“Our engineers and build partners are reaching more communities every week and we’re not just building in cities and urban areas. Many rural and hard to reach communities are already benefitting and we plan to reach many more in the coming months and years.”

Across the UK, more than one 1.3 million homes and businesses have already ordered a full fibre service from a range of retail service providers using the Openreach network. But this means millions are yet to start benefiting from some of the fastest, most reliable broadband connections in the world and have yet to upgrade.

Recent research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) highlighted the clear economic benefits of connecting everyone in Wales to full fibre. It estimated this would create a £2 billion boost to the local economy.

Openreach engineers have been working hard to make the technology available to as many people as possible throughout the UK – at times reaching 47,000 premises a week – and work will continue between now and 2026, with the full list of locations and timescales being updated regularly on the Openreach website. 

The company’s plans are fundamental to the UK Government achieving its target of delivering ‘gigabit capable’ broadband to 85 per cent of UK by 2025. The company plans to reach a total of 25 million premises by the end of December 2026, including more than six million in the hardest-to-serve parts of the country defined by industry regulator Ofcom.

Openreach employs more than 2,500 people across Wales and you can find out more about our Fibre First programme, latest availability and local plans here.

Buddsoddi £30 miliwn mewn band eang ar draws de Cymru

Mae dros 87,000 cartref a busnes ar draws de Cymru gam ymhellach at groesawu gwasanaeth band eang o’r safon uchaf yn dilyn buddsoddiad gwerth £30m gan Openreach - cwmni rhwydwaith digidol mwyaf y Deyrnas Unedig.

Bydd cymunedau ar hyd a lled de Cymru yn derbyn yr uwchraddiad yn dilyn cyhoeddiad diweddaraf y cwmni i ddarparu rhwydwaith band eang ffeibr cyflawn cyflym a dibynadwy i wasanaethu’r rhan helaeth o adeiladau ardaloedd Penybont, Porth Talbot, Castell-nedd, Gorseinon, Sgiwen, Llansawel (Briton Ferry) a Blaendulais (Seven Sisters).

Daw’r neges ddiweddaraf ar ôl i’r cwmni gyhoeddi ei fod wedi lledu band eang ffeibr cyflawn tra-chyflym i dros 6 miliwn cartref a busnes ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig, dros 400,000 ohonynt yng Nghymru.

Mae’n hwb pellach i’r wlad yn dilyn newyddion yn gynharach eleni fod miloedd o gartrefi a busnesau am ymuno â rhwydwaith newydd Openreach, yn cynnwys degau o filoedd mewn ardaloedd gwledig ac anodd eu cyrraedd yn cynnwys Abersoch, Bethesda, y Borth, Aberteifi, Nefyn, Ffos y Gerddinen (Nelson), Arberth, Llanilltud Fawr & Cydweli.

Wrth groesawu’r cyhoeddiad dywedodd Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd Llywodraeth Cymru, Lee Waters:

“Mae pwysigrwydd band eang dibynadwy cyflym wedi dod yn ddefnyddioldeb hyd yn oed yn fwy amlwg ac rydym yn croesawu’r buddsoddiad hwn fel rhan allweddol o ymdrech y farchnad i hybu cysylltiadau ledled De Cymru”.

Ychwanegodd Connie Dixon, cyfarwyddwraig Cymru, Openreach: “Mae cysylltedd da yn hanfodol - boed er mwyn gweithio gartref, cysylltu â gwasanaethau addysg a gofal, neu chwarae gemau a mwynhau adloniant - dyna pam ein bod yn buddsoddi ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig i uwchraddio ein rhwydwaith i wasanaethu 25 miliwn cartref a busnes.

“Nid oes unrhyw gwmni yn adeiladu’n fwy cyflym, ymhellach neu i safon uwch ar draws Cymru nag Openreach. Rydym eisoes wedi cyrraedd chwe milwn cartref a busnes gyda thechnoleg ffeibr cyflawn, yn cynnwys tua 400,000 yng Nghymru. Mae’n profi’n boblogaidd hefyd, gydag oddeutu 23% eisoes wedi arwyddo i gael y gwasanaeth.

“Mae ein peirianwyr a phartneriaid adeiladu’n cyrraedd mwy o gymunedau bob wythnos ac nid yn unig mewn dinasoedd ac ardaloedd trefol. Erbyn hyn mae llawer o gymunedau gwledig ac anodd eu cyrraedd yn elwa a byddwn yn cyrraedd llawer mwy dros y misoedd a blynyddoedd nesaf.”

Ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig mae dros 1.3 miliwn cartref a busnes eisoes wedi archebu gwasanaeth ffeibr cyflawn drwy amryw gwmnïau gwasanaeth sy’n defnyddio rhwydwaith Openreach. Ond mae dal llawer o bobl heb ddechrau elwa o’r cysylltiadau band eang gorau yn y byd a heb uwchraddio eu gwasanaeth.

Roedd ymchwil diweddar gan Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) wedi tanlinellu’r buddion economaidd clir o gysylltu pawb yng Nghymru â gwasanaeth ffeibr cyflawn. Amcangyfrifir byddai’n creu hwb gwerth £2 biliwn i’r economi leol.

Mae peirianwyr Openreach wedi gweithio’n galed i ddarparu’r dechnoleg ar gyfer cymaint o bobl â phosibl ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig - gan gyrraedd 47,000 adeilad yr wythnos ar adegau - a bydd y gwaith yn parhau tan 2026, gyda rhaglen lawn o’r lleoliadau ar wefan Openreach. 

Mae cynlluniau’r cwmni yn elfen hanfodol o raglen Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig i ddarparu band eang hyd at un gigabeit ar gyfer 85% o’r wlad erbyn 2025. Nod y cwmni yw cyrraedd 25 miliwn cartref a busnes erbyn diwedd Rhagfyr 2026, yn cynnwys dros chwe miliwn mewn ardaloedd anodd eu cyrraedd yn ôl diffiniad Ofcom.

Mae Openreach yn cyflogi dros 2,500 person yng Nghymru. Manylion diwddaraf am ein rhaglen ffeibr a darpariaethau lleol yma.