Superfast Cymru Roll-Out In Denbighshire Under The Spotlight

Progress with the roll-out of the Superfast Cymru project will be one of the main issues of discussion at Denbighshire’s Performance Scrutiny Committee when it meets on Thursday. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Representatives from BT have accepted an invitation from the Council to attend the meeting and will be asked about progress with the county Superfast roll-out, their future plans and any other initiatives available to improve connectivity for businesses and households unable to benefit from the Superfast Cymru programme. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

An invite was also extended to representatives from Welsh Government but no one is available to attend. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Superfast Cymru is a project between Welsh Government and BT to deliver fibre broadband to parts of the country not covered by a commercial roll-out of broadband. The project aims to ensure 96% of premises have access to broadband with speeds upwards of 30 mbps. The most recent figures for Denbighshire from Welsh Government show that the roll-out in the county is 69% complete, with take up at 25.4%. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Many of the county’s exchanges are now live, with the exception of Llandegla, Llanarmon yn Iâl and Nantglyn, all of which are scheduled to be upgraded in June of this year. In terms of current deployment, the roll-out appears to be slightly behind neighbouring counties and the majority of Wales. This is likely to be a key area of focus for Performance Scrutiny on Thursday. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Council will also discuss ‘not-spots’ in the county and how these will be addressed. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Rebecca Maxwell, Corporate Director – Economy and Public Realm, said: “Improving broadband connectivity is an important strand of our corporate priority to developing the local economy. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“It’s an issue that’s raised by businesses and residents on a regular basis, particularly in rural areas. Broadband access is critical to the success of local businesses, providing them with an opportunity to be competitive in the customer market. It is also vital for residents from a social and wellbeing aspect. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We are pleased that BT has agreed to attend our meeting and answer questions from Performance Scrutiny members on progress with the Superfast roll-out in Denbighshire and how we can ensure that Denbighshire residents and businesses are best placed to take advantage of this important technology”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The meeting will take place on Thursday, April 28th at County Hall, Ruthin – 10am. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​