Openreach ’Full Fibre’ broadband plans set to upgrade 415,000 more rural homes in Wales

Openreach today outlined plans to build ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to at least three million more homes and businesses – including around 415,000 across Wales - in some of the UK’s hardest to serve communities[1].  It means fewer homes and businesses will require taxpayer subsidies to upgrade. 

A total of 140 exchanges across the country are being upgraded, with the majority of homes and businesses in places such as Abersoch, Bethesda, Borth, Cardigan, Nefyn, Nelson, Narberth, Llantwit Major & Kidwelly[i] set to benefit from what will be a massive nationwide, five-year feat of civil engineering.

More than 20,000 households and businesses on Ynys Môn are set to benefit alongside more than 30,000 in Pembrokeshire, around 30,000 in Powys, more than 20,000 in Gwynedd and approximately 20,000 in Monmouthshire.

The company’s updated build plan will be fundamental to the UK Government achieving its target of delivering ‘gigabit capable broadband’ to 85 per cent of UK by 2025 and it follows an extended investment commitment by its parent, BT Group – which means Openreach will now build Full Fibre technology to a total of 25 million premises, including the additional three million in hardest-to-serve communities.

Today’s announcement expands on Openreach’s existing nationwide build plans, which already include hundreds of thousands more premises in 100 other Welsh cities, towns and villages. The company is also working in partnership with Welsh Government to reach those that are in the final 5%.

The plans also include an extension to the company’s biggest ever recruitment drive, with a further 1,000 new roles being created in 2021 on top of the 2,500 jobs which were announced in December 2020 – of which around 100 were across Wales. This means that by the end of 2021, Openreach will have created and filled more than 9,000 apprenticeship roles since 2017/18.

Connie Dixon, Openreach’s regional director for Wales, said: “Building a new Ultrafast broadband network across Wales is a massive challenge and some parts of the country will inevitably require public funding. But our expanded build plan means taxpayer subsidies can be limited to only the hardest to connect homes and businesses. And with investments from other network builders, we’d hope to see that shrink further.

“This is a hugely complex, nationwide engineering project – second only to HS2 in terms of investment. It will help level-up the UK because the impact of Full Fibre broadband stretches from increased economic prosperity and international competitiveness, to higher employment and environmental benefits. We’re also delighted to continue bucking the national trend by creating more Welsh jobs, with apprentices joining in their droves to start their careers as engineers.

“We’ll publish further location details and timescales on our website as the detailed surveys and planning are completed and the build progresses. In the meantime, don’t forget that you can also check what’s already available which includes the thousands of homes and businesses across Wales that can already access Full Fibre.”

Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, said: “First class digital infrastructure is critical to achieving social and economic prosperity for our communities and it is vital that all areas of Wales have the connectivity they need to flourish.

“The UK Government is committed to boosting access to broadband for people and businesses across Wales and projects like the one being carried out by Openreach are a huge step forward in achieving that goal.”

Welcoming the announcement, Lee Waters, Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Climate Change, said: “Fast, reliable broadband is more important than ever, so seeing more homes and businesses set to be connected is great news for Wales. Good quality digital connectivity underpins everything we do digitally and this welcome announcement will help support us in delivering our ambitious Digital Strategy for Wales”

Openreach is already building Full Fibre quicker, at lower cost and higher quality than anyone else in the UK, having made the technology available to more than 4.7 million homes and business so far.

With download speeds of 1 Gbps, it’s up to 10 times faster than the average home broadband connection. That means faster game downloads, better quality video calls and higher resolution movie streaming.

You can also use multiple devices at once without experiencing slowdown – so more people in your household can get online at once. Even if the rest of your family are making video calls, streaming box sets or gaming online, all at the same time – you won’t experience stuttering, buffering or dropouts.

Full fibre is also less affected by peak time congestion – so you can enjoy your Saturday night blockbuster in 4K without the dreaded buffering screen.

Surf, shop, game, play, click, teach, talk, work, create, learn, buy, sell, watch and do business without skipping a beat or slowing down.

The company’s Chief Engineer unit is using a range of innovations and techniques to deliver world class build costs, whilst a major investment in 11 new regional training centres - including the National Training Centre for Wales in Newport - is helping to equip and skill thousands of new engineers.

Openreach plays an important role across Wales. More than 2,500 of our people live and work here. 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 £1.3 billion boost to the local economy.

This short video explains what Full Fibre technology is and you can find out more about our Fibre First programme, latest availability and local plans here.

[i] The vast majority of these locations fall within the ‘final third’ or ‘Geographic Area 3’, which is defined by Ofcom as 9.5 million premises in the least commercially viable areas of the UK for competitive broadband infrastructure upgrades.

[i] Build costs fall within BT Group’s publicly stated range of £300-400 per premises passed, on average and excluding connection costs. All locations upgrades are subject to a detailed survey.

Cynlluniau ‘Ffeibr Cyflawn’ Openreach i uwchraddio 415,000 mwy o gartrefi gwledig yng Nghymru

Band eang gigabeit ar gyfer 3 miliwn adeilad ychwanegol mewn ardaloedd anodd eu cyrraedd i gynnwys 140 tref a phentref ar draws 22 awdurdod lleol Cymru

Heddiw cyhoeddodd Openreach gynlluniau i ledu band eang ffeibr cyflawn, tra chyflym, dibynadwy i wasanaethu o leiaf 3 miliwn cartref a busnes ychwanegol - yn cynnwys oddeutu 415,000 ar hyd a lled Cymru - mewn rhai o gymunedau anodd eu cyrraedd y Deyrnas Unedig. O ganlyniad, bydd llai o gartrefi a busnesau angen cymorth arian cyhoeddus er mwyn uwchraddio eu band eang.

Bydd y gwaith yn uwchraddio 140 cyfnewidfa ar draws y wlad, gyda’r rhan fwyaf o gartrefi a busnesau mewn llefydd fel Abersoch, Bethesda, y Borth, Aberteifi, Nefyn, Nelson (Ffos y Gerddinen), Arberth, Llanilltud Fawr & Cydweli[i] yn elwa o gynllun peirianneg sifil, pum mlynedd, enfawr ar draws y wlad.

Yn eu plith bydd dros 20,000 cartref a busnes ar Ynys Môn, ynghyd â dros 30,000 yn sir Benfro, tua 30,000 (Powys), mwy na 20,000 (Gwynedd) ac oddeutu 20,000 yn sir Fynwy.

Bydd cynllun diwygiedig y cwmni yn hanfodol wrth helpu Llywodraeth San Steffan i gyrraedd y targed o ddarparu band eang gigabeit ar gyfer 85% o’r Deyrnas Unedig erbyn 2025 ac mae’n dilyn ymrwymiad estynedig gan ei gwmni rhiant, BT Group - sy’n golygu bydd Openreach yn awr yn darparu technoleg ffeibr cyflawn ar gyfer 25 miliwn cartref a busnes, yn cynnwys y 3 miliwn ychwanegol yn y cymunedau mwyaf anodd eu cyrraedd.

Mae cyhoeddiad heddiw yn datblygu ar gynlluniau adeiladu cenedlaethol Openreach, sydd eisoes yn cynnwys cannoedd o filoedd o adeiladau mewn 100 o ddinasoedd, trefi a phentrefi Cymru. Yn ogystal, mae’r cwmni yn cydweithio mewn partneriaeth â Llywodraeth Cymru i gyrraedd 5% olaf y wlad.

Ar ben hynny, mae’r cynlluniau yn cynnwys ymestyn rhaglen recriwtio fwyaf erioed y cwmni, gan greu 1,000 swydd newydd yn 2021 ynghyd â 2,500 swydd a gyhoeddwyd yn Rhagfyr 2020 - gan gynnwys tua 100 yng Nghymru. Erbyn diwedd 2021 bydd Openreach wedi creu a llenwi rolau dros 9,000 o brentisiaid ers 2017/18.

Dywedodd Connie Dixon, cyfarwyddwraig rhanbarthol Cymru, Openreach: “Bydd adeiladu rhwydwaith band eang tra chyflym ar hyd a lled Cymru yn her anferth ac mae’n anochel bydd rhai rhannau o’r wlad angen cymorthdaliadau cyhoeddus. Ond bydd ein cynllun estynedig yn cyfyngu defnydd o gymorthdaliadau cyhoeddus i’r cartrefi a busnesau mwyaf anodd eu cyrraedd ac wrth gynnwys buddsoddiadau gan gwmnïau rhwydwaith eraill rydym yn gobeithio gostwng hynny ymhellach.

“Mae’n cynrychioli project peirianneg cenedlaethol cymhleth iawn - dim ond HS2 sy’n fwy yn nhermau buddsoddiad. Bydd yn helpu i lefelu’r sefyllfa ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig oherwydd bydd effeithiau band eang ffeibr cyflawn yn ymestyn o gefnogi ffyniant economaidd a chystadleugarwch rhyngwladol i gynyddu lefelau cyflogaeth a chreu buddion amgylcheddol. Yn ogystal, byddwn yn gweddnewid pethau wrth greu mwy o swyddi Cymreig, a chyflogi llawer mwy o brentisiaid a’u helpu i ddechrau gyrfaoedd fel peirianwyr.

“Byddwn yn cyhoeddi mwy o fanylion am y lleoliadau a’r amserlenni ar ein gwefan wrth gwblhau’r gwaith syrfeo a chynllunio manwl, a chynnal y gwaith adeiladu. Yn y cyfamser, gallwch barhau i ddilyn y datblygiadau, yn cynnwys y miloedd o gartrefi a busnesau sydd eisoes yn gallu cael band eang ffeibr cyflawn.”

Dywedodd Ysgrifennydd Cymru, Simon Hart: “Bydd darparu seilwaith digidol o’r radd flaenaf yn hanfodol er sicrhau ffyniant cymdeithasol ac economaidd ein cymunedau, ac yn y cyd-destun hwnnw rhaid cysylltu pob rhan o Gymru.

“Mae Llywodraeth San Steffan wedi ymrwymo i wella mynediad i fand eang ar gyfer pobl a busnesau drwy Gymru a bydd cynlluniau fel un Openreach yn gam enfawr at gyrraedd y nod.”

Wrth groesawu’r cyhoeddiad, dywedodd Lee Waters, dirprwyr weinidog newid hinsawdd Llywodraeth Cymru: “Mae cael band eang cyflym a dibynadwy yn bwysicach nag erioed, felly rydym yn croesawu gwaith i gysylltu hyd yn oed mwy o gartrefi a busnesau.”

"Mae cysylltedd digidol o ansawdd da yn sail i bopeth a wnawn yn ddigidol ac mae'r cyhoeddiad yma i'w groesawu. Bydd yn ein helpu i gyflawni ein Strategaeth Ddigidol uchelgeisiol ar gyfer Cymru"

Mae Openreach eisoes yn adeiladu ffeibr cyflawn yn gyflymach, am gostau is ac o ansawdd uwch nag unrhyw gwmni arall yn y Deyrnas Unedig, gan ledu’r dechnoleg i dros 4.7 miliwn cartref a busnes hyd yma.

Wrth lwytho data ar gyflymder o 1 Gbps, mae hynny 10 gwaith yn gyflymach na chysylltiad band eang cartref cyfartalog ar hyn o bryd - gan hwyluso llwytho gemau, galwadau fideo o safon a ffrydio ffilmiau HD.

Gallwch hefyd ddefnyddio sawl dyfais ar yr un pryd heb arafu’r gwasanaeth - gan alluogi mwy o bobl yn y cartref i fynd arlein. A hyd yn oed os bydd gweddill y teulu’n gwneud galwadau fideo, ffrydio pecynnau teledu neu chwarae gemau arlein ar yr un pryd, ni fyddwch yn wynebu oedi, byffro neu golli signal.

Yn ogystal, ni fydd ffeibr cyflawn yn destun tagfeydd cyfnodau brig i’r un graddau - felly gallwch fwynhau’r ffilm fawr ddiweddaraf ar nos Sadwrn yn 4K heb unrhyw ymyrraeth.

Gallwch syrffio, siopa, chwarae gemau, clicio, addysgu, siarad, gweithio, creu, dysgu, prynu, gwerthu, gwylio a gwneud busnes heb oedi neu arafu.

Mae uned Prif Beiriannydd y cwmni yn defnyddio llwyth o syniadau arloesol a thechnegau newydd er mwyn adeiladu’r rhwydwaith am gostau sy’n cymharu ag unrhyw le yn y byd, ac yn buddsoddi mewn 11 canolfan hyfforddi newydd - yn cynnwys Canolfan Hyfforddi Cenedlaethol Cymru, Casnewydd - er mwyn helpu i ddatblygu sgiliau ac offer miloedd o beirianwyr newydd.

Mae Openreach yn chwarae rôl bwysig iawn yng Nghymru, gyda dros 2,500 o’n pobl yn byw a gweithio yma. Mae ymchwil diweddar gan Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) wedi tanlinellu’r buddion economaidd o gysylltu pawb yng Nghymru â’r rhwydwaith ffeibr cyflawn. Amcangyfrifir byddai’n creu hwb gwerth £1.3 biliwn i economi’r wlad.

Fideo byr yn esbonio technoleg ffeibr cyflawn, a manylion ein rhaglen ‘Fibre First’, y darpariaethau diweddaraf a chynlluniau lleol yma.

[i] Mwyafrif o’r lleoliadau hyn o fewn y ‘treian olaf’ neu ‘Ardal 3’, a ddiffiniwyd gan Ofcom fel 9.5 miliwn adeilad yn yr ardaloedd mwyaf annhebygol o elwa o waith masnachol i uwchraddio rhwydweithiau band eang.

[i] Costau adeiladu o fewn amrediad cyhoeddus BT Group o £300-400 i basio pob adeilad, ar gyfartaledd a heb gynnwys costau cysylltu. Bydd uwchraddio pob lleoliad yn amodol ar arolwg manwl.

List of exchange locations across Wales

Blaenau Gwent: Tredegar, Abertillery, Blaina, Ebbw Vale,

Bridgend: Maesteg, Aberkenfig, Pontycymmer, Pencoed, Porthcawl, Ogmore Valley

Caerphilly: Blackwood, Newbridge, Nelson, Ynysddu, Bargoed, Senghenydd, Machen, Hengoed,

Cardiff: Pentyrch, Taffs Well,

Carmarthenshire: Ammanford, Llangennech, Llandeilo, Llandybie, Trimsaran, Kidwelly, Llandovery, Amman Valley

Ceredigion: Borth, Cardigan, Lampeter, Bow Street, New Quay, Aberaeron, Talybont, Llanon

Conwy: Llanfairfechan, Abergele, Rhos On Sea, Llanrwst, Penmaenmawr , Old Colwyn

Denbighshire: Trefnant, Corwen, Llangollen, St Asaph, Ruthin, Dyserth

Flintshire: Kinnerton, Pontybodkin, Northop, Hawarden, Mold

Gwynedd: Trawsfynydd, Barmouth, Abersoch, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Felinheli,Nefyn, Bala, Bethesda, Dolgellau, Penygroes, Criccieth, Aberdovey, Porthmadog, Dyffryn, Llanberis, Tywyn

Ynys Môn: Menai Bridge, Llangefni, Gaerwen, Brynsiencyn, Beaumaris, Moelfre, Tynygongl, Holyhead, Valley, Cemaes Bay, Rhosneigr, Amlwch

Merthyr Tydfil: Bedlinog, Ynysowen, Treharris

Monmouthshire: Chepstow, Usk, Monmouth, Caldicot, Gilwern

Neath Port Talbot: Glynneath, Cymmer, Resolven, Pontardawe, Crynant

Newport: Caerleon, Llanwern, Castleton

Pembrokeshire: Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Pembroke, Tenby, Johnston, Narberth, Neyland, Fishguard

Powys: Builth Wells, Crickhowell, Caersws, Hay On Wye, Newtown, Presteigne, Machynlleth, Talgarth, Knighton, Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Llanidloes, Forden, Glantawe

RCT: Tonyrefail, Ynysybwl, Tonypandy, Hirwaun, Treorchy, Porth, Pontypridd

Swansea: Penclawdd, Bishopston, Clydach

Torfaen: Blaenavon, Pontypool, Talywain

Vale of Glamorgan: Southerndown, Llantwit Major, Cowbridge, St Athan, Dinas Powys

Wrexham: Wrexham, North Rossett,Ruabon