Kerry risks missing out on ultrafast broadband
Kerry urged to get behind bid to bring ultrafast broadband to community (Gweler fersiwn Cymraeg isod / Welsh language version below)
Openreach is urging people in Kerry, Powys to get behind a bid to bring ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to local homes and businesses.
The company is warning that the community risks missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime Full Fibre upgrade if they don’t apply for free UK Government broadband vouchers, which can be used to secure faster speeds and greater reliability.
To be successful the scheme needs 165 vouchers to be pledged but currently only 70 have been pledged so more people need to sign up to make sure the Powys village joins the more than 700,00 homes and businesses across Wales that can already access full fibre broadband.
Funding through the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and the deployment of new broadband signal boosting technology – which can extend the reach of the Full Fibre network, means thousands more remote rural communities like Kerry are now within reach of the ultrafast technology.
Openreach has identified the town as being within scope for Full Fibre and is urging local people to take the next step by applying for and pooling together free UK Government Gigabit Vouchers to help fund the build.
Residents can check if they qualify and pledge their voucher on the Connect My Community website. Using the vouchers – which don’t cost residents anything - enables Openreach to work with a local community to build a customised, co-funded network. The vouchers can be combined to extend the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to premises in outlying rural areas which won’t be covered by private investment.
Martin Williams, Openreach’s partnership director for Wales, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for the people of Kerry a to bring all the benefits of ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to their community. We’ve had a great response so far but we still need more to sign up and pledge their vouchers so the scheme can go ahead.
“Our Fibre Community Partnership programme has meant that we’ve been able to potentially bring hundreds more communities across the UK, into our Full Fibre build plans. But building out the network to these harder to reach locations is still challenging – which is why its only possible with everyone working together – you, your neighbours and Openreach.
“Everyone who pledges a voucher will be doing their bit to help make Kerry one of the best-connected places in the UK.
“We’re investing £15 billion to build full fibre broadband to 25 million homes – and more than six million of those will be in the toughest third of the UK – but we can’t upgrade the whole country alone. This latest support from UK Government is a vital part of that process.”
Once the pledge target for the scheme is reached, residents need to ensure they then validate their vouchers with the Government so that Openreach can confirm that building work can get underway. As part of the funding conditions residents are asked to commit to ordering a full fibre service from a provider of their choice for at least 12 months once the new network is available, and confirm that they are connected.
Full Fibre technology provides more reliable, resilient and future-proof connectivity; meaning fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands. It's also future-proof, which means it will serve generations to come and won’t need to be upgraded for decades.
Fibre optics - strands of glass around one-tenth the thickness of a human hair - transmit data using light signals. Fibre is smaller, lighter and more durable than copper cabling and less vulnerable to damage.
Ceri angen help i gael band eang tra-chyflym
Mae Openreach yn annog trigolion Ceri i gefnogi cynnig i ddarparu band eang ffeibr cyflawn tra-chyflym ar gyfer cartrefi a busnesau’r ardal.
Y rheswm am hynny yw bod y cwmni’n poeni bydd y gymuned yn colli cyfle unwaith-mewn-cenhedlaeth os na fyddant yn ymgeisio am dalebau band eang di-dâl Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig er hawlio gwasanaeth band eang mwy cyflym a dibynadwy.
Er mwyn cynnal cynllun llwyddiannus bydd angen i aelodau’r gymuned addo 165 taleb, ond hyd yma dim ond 70 sydd wedi gwneud hynny. Felly, bydd angen cael mwy o bobl i gefnogi’r cynllun fel bod y dref yn ymuno â dros 700,000 cartref a busnes ar draws y wlad sydd eisoes yn gallu cael band eang ffeibr cyflawn.
Bydd cyllid cynllun talebau band eang gigabeit Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig a thechnoleg cryfhau signal band eang - sy’n gallu ymestyn cyrraedd y rhwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn, yn golygu bydd miloedd o gymunedau gwledig diarffordd fel Ceri yn gallu elwa o’r dechnoleg tra-chyflym.
Mae Openreach wedi nodi’r dref o fewn sgôp ffeibr cyflawn ac yn annog pobl leol i gymryd y cam nesaf wrth ymgeisio am ac addo talebau gigabeit ffeibr cyflawn Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig er mwyn helpu i gyllido’r gwaith adeiladu.
Erbyn hyn mae trigolion yn gallu gweld os ydynt yn gymwys i hawlio ac addo taleb ar wefan Connect My Community. Bydd addo’r talebau di-dâl yn galluogi Openreach i gydweithio â’r gymuned leol i adeiladu rhwydwaith i wasanaethu’r ardal. Gellir cyfuno’r talebau i ymestyn y rhwydwaith tra-chyflym i wasanaethu adeiladau mewn ardaloedd gwledig cyfagos na fydd yn destun buddsoddiad preifat.
Dywedodd Martin Williams, cyfarwyddwr partneriaethau Cymru Openreach: “Mae’n gyfle cyffrous i bobl Ceri elwa o holl fuddion band eang ffeibr cyflawn. Derbyniwyd ymateb da hyd yma ond bydd angen mwy o bobl i arwyddo ac addo eu talebau er mwyn sicrhau llwyddiant y cynllun.
“Mae ein rhaglen partneriaethau ffeibr cymunedol wedi’n galluogi i gynnwys cannoedd o gymunedau ychwanegol o fewn ein cynlluniau ffeibr cyflawn. Ond bydd ymestyn ein rhwydwaith i gyrraedd ardaloedd anodd eu cyrraedd yn dal yn her - dyna pam bydd rhaid i bawb gydweithio - chi, eich cymdogion ac Openreach.
“Bydd pawb sy’n addo taleb yn helpu i wneud Ceri yn un o’r llefydd gyda’r cysylltedd gorau yn y Deyrnas Unedig."
“Rydym yn buddsoddi £15 biliwn er mwyn darparu band eang ffeibr cyflawn ar gyfer 25 miliwn cartref - a bydd dros chwe miliwn ohonynt ymhlith y traean mwyaf anodd eu cyrraedd yn y DU - ond ni fyddwn yn gallu uwchraddio’r wlad gyfan ar ben ein hunain. Mae’r cymorth diweddaraf gan Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig yn elfen hanfodol o’r broses hon.”
Unwaith bydd ardal yn cyrraedd y targed o ran nifer yr addewidion, yna bydd angen i’r trigolion ddilysu eu talebau gyda’r Llywodraeth er mwyn galluogi Openreach i gadarnhau dechrau’r gwaith adeiladu. Fel rhan o amodau’r cyllid, gofynnir y trigolion i archebu gwasanaeth ffeibr cyflawn gan y cwmni o’u dewis am o leiaf 12 mis unwaith bydd y rhwydwaith newydd yn gweithredu, a chadarnhau eu cysylltiad.
Mae technoleg ffeibr cyflawn yn darparu cysylltedd mwy cyflym, dibynadwy a chadarn; sy’n golygu llai o namau; cyflymderau cyson a chynhwysedd digonol er diwallu’r galw cynyddol am ddata ychwanegol. Bydd hefyd yn gwasanaethu cenedlaethau’r dyfodol ac ni fydd angen ei uwchraddio am ddegawdau. Ffeibr Opteg - edafedd gwydr degfed trwch gwallt dynol - sy’n trosglwyddo data wrth ddefnyddio signalau golau. Mae ffeibr yn llai ac yn fwy ysgafn a chadarn na cheblau copr ac yn llai tebygol o ddioddef difrod.
