Thousands across Doncaster missing out on faster broadband
Only around 22 per cent of people who can upgrade to Ultrafast full fibre across Doncaster have done so – with thousands still missing out on faster, more reliable broadband services.
In some areas, such as Intake, the percentage of those upgrading falls into single figures – with only around six percent of homes and businesses choosing to benefit from the new technology.
People living and working across Doncaster are being encouraged to find out more about faster broadband – as the latest figures show that Openreach’s full fibre network – used by the likes of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen – is now available to more than 57,000 premises.
This is a result of both the company’s own multi-million pound commercial investment and the Superfast South Yorkshire broadband partnership with the four South Yorkshire local authorities
As well as offering faster speeds of up to one gigabit per second (Gbps), 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.
Packages from a wide range of broadband providers are increasingly competitively priced, meaning people may not end up paying much more per month than their current bill, for a much-improved service.
Matthew Lovegrove, Openreach’s partnership director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Fast and reliable Full Fibre broadband gives households and businesses a boost. It can have a huge impact on people’s daily lives, and it’s great for the economy too.
“The important thing to remember is that upgrades don’t happen automatically, and people need to contact and place orders through their broadband provider to get take advantage.”
“Our engineering build continues across South Yorkshire 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. This network’s also future-proof, so it’ll work for decades, no matter how much bandwidth we need and what life throws at us next.”
Once somebody places and 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 electric socket – and 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 dozens of towns and villages across Doncaster, including Askern, Balby, Bawtry, Cantley, Finningley, Thorne and Stainforth. It’s part of the company’s plans to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2026. This short video explains what full fibre technology is and you can find out more about our Fibre First programme here.
Martin Owens, Programme Manager at Superfast South Yorkshire, said: “Now, more than ever, communities need fantastic connectivity to fully interact with the world and it’s essential that homes and businesses across Doncaster have fast, reliable broadband. From running a business to home schooling, shopping and working from home - so much is done online.
“I’d encourage everyone to check what broadband technology is available to them and where possible upgrade to make the most of the benefits on offer.”
A recent report by the Centre for Economics & Business Research (Cebr) shows that connecting everyone in Yorkshire and the Humber to ‘full fibre’ broadband would create a £3.8 billion boost to the local economy, by unlocking smarter ways of working, better public services and greater opportunities for the next-generation of home-grown businesses.
Openreach employs more than 2,800 people across Yorkshire and the Humber and in February announced plans to recruit a create and fill a further 250 jobs – including around 200 apprenticeships.
You can find out more about our Fibre First programme, latest availability and local plans here.
