Thousands across Berwick missing out on faster broadband
More than 6,000 Berwick homes and businesses can now access Openreach’s new Full Fibre broadband network.
However, only around 19 per cent of people who can upgrade to Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband across the coastal town have done so – with thousands still missing out on the faster, more reliable services.
People living and working across the town are being encouraged to find out more about the new technology – as the latest figures show that Openreach’s Full Fibre network – which offers the UK’s biggest choice of broadband providers – is now available to more than 6,000 premises. A local investment of around £1.8 million. [1]
As well as being faster, Full Fibre broadband provides more reliable, resilient and future-proof connectivity, with fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds; and enough capacity to use multiple devices at once.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach’s regional director for the North East, said: “Fast and reliable full fibre broadband gives households and businesses a boost - it can have a huge impact on people’s daily lives.
”Switching is easy and may even be cheaper than your existing broadband package but it’s important to remember that upgrades don’t happen automatically. People need to contact, and place orders through, their broadband service provider to take advantage.
“Our engineering build continues across Northumberland and we’re determined to deliver a great service to local residents, helping people to work from home easily and build connections and opportunities in their communities.”
Full Fibre supports a host of online services and entertainment such as seamless streaming and smooth online gaming experiences while businesses can operate with certainty that their broadband will support all their day-to-day, business critical tasks such as video calls, banking and customer interaction via social media platforms.
Packages from a wide range of broadband providers are increasingly competitively priced, meaning people may pay similar, or even less, per month than their current bill for a much-improved service.
Once somebody places an order with a service provider, an Openreach engineer will visit on an agreed day. They’ll run a new fibre optical cable from underground or a nearby pole to a small junction box on the outside wall of the premises. A smaller cable goes through the outside wall to an inside unit - which needs to be near a double electricity socket. Before they leave, the engineer will test the connection to make sure it’s up and running.
Openreach has announced plans to invest in Full Fibre broadband for the majority of premises in more than 25 towns and villages across Northumberland including Alnmouth, Alnwick, Amble, Lynemouth, Longframlington, Shilbottle and Ulgham. It’s part of the company’s plans to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2026.
Local people can visit the Openreach fibre checker, which is regularly updated with build progress and shows when full fibre is available in specific areas.
[1] Investment figure based on an average build cost of £300 per premises
