Over 78,000 properties able to connect to the fibre network

Topics in this edition:

• CSW successfully completes Contract 3 build programme
• Thousands of rural homes & businesses set to benefit from Project Gigabit announcement
• Update on plans for the ‘Digital Switchover’ in CSW region
• Take-up of cheaper social broadband tariffs rising but awareness of schemes still an issue
• O2 UK trial 5G from drones with Warwickshire Search & Rescue
• BT & EE in talks with Starlink to boost rural broadband coverage
• Copy for your own website or newsletter

CSW successfully completes Contract 3 build programme

CSW can now confirm that we have successfully completed our Contract 3 deployment programme with the final 19 structures due to be built having now gone live. The communities benefiting from these most recent upgrades include parts of:

Blackdown, Bramcote, Dordon, Dunnington, Grendon, Harborough Magna, Hartshill, Ilmington, Kenilworth, Lapworth, Little Lawford, Napton on the Hill, Pailton, Ryton on Dunsmore, Welford on Avon & Wood Bevington.

The conclusion of Contract 3 also marks the completion of the ‘Superfast Broadband’ (30Mbps+) rollout programme across the Solihull and Warwickshire area, which we started back in 2013 in conjunction with Openreach, our build partners for this project.

Since then, we have successfully delivered superfast or ‘gigabit capable’ broadband connections to over 78,000 properties in areas across our region which were deemed to suffer from market failure (i.e. locations that either weren’t expected to be upgraded via commercial supplier’s own build plans or wouldn’t otherwise have got upgraded for many years).

While the project has been a success, we are, however, acutely aware that we were not able to upgrade all of the eligible households and businesses with the money that we had available during that time.

Some of these will benefit from the Project Gigabit work which we are about to undertake (see next article) and we will endeavour to find alternative solutions to bring improved connectivity to properties in our area that will not be upgraded through either Project Gigabit or commercial suppliers own deployment plans.

As always, it is worth remembering that if your property has been upgraded, you won’t get a better service automatically. You need to order the improved service with your chosen ISP to take advantage of the many benefits that faster broadband will bring to your household or business.

To check on your property’s broadband status, enter your landline number or address into the BT Broadband Availability Checker. Our How to use the BT Broadband Availability Checker webpage will help you make sense of the Broadband Checker results.

If you are thinking of ordering an improvedYou might like to use a broadband comparison site such as MoneySavingExpert.com, Broadband Choices, Compare the Market, BroadbandProviders or uSwitch to find a fibre broadband package to suit you and your family’s needs.

Thousands of rural homes & businesses set to benefit from Project Gigabit announcement

Lightning-fast, ultra-reliable broadband will be delivered to thousands of homes and businesses across Warwickshire and Leicestershire after a £71 million contract was signed under the government’s national Project Gigabit rollout programme.

The contract, which has recently been awarded to independent broadband provider CityFibre will deliver top-of-the-range full fibre connections to around 38,000 rural premises across the two counties and parts of Solihull.

The UK government has ambitious plans to provide world-class, ‘gigabit-capable’ connectivity with speeds of up to 1000Mbps to at least 85% of UK premises by December 2025, rising to at least 99% by 2030.

While much of this is expected to be achieved by commercial builds, government intervention through Project Gigabit is helping to ensure that properties not included in commercial plans do not miss out on the benefits of faster, more reliable broadband.

Cllr Martin Watson, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy said:

“Improving the county’s digital infrastructure is one of our key priorities given the significant economic and social benefits it can provide for residents and businesses and so we are delighted with this Project Gigabit announcement.

This substantial level of investment will promote further digital inclusion ensuring that thousands more Warwickshire residents and businesses will have access to lightning fast, ultra-reliable internet connectivity for decades to come.”

Now that the contract has been signed, CityFibre will begin detailed surveying work with spades expected to enter the ground later this summer. We will be having detailed discussions with CityFibre over the coming months and will provide you with more detailed information regarding the build programme in our area via our newsletter and website once it has been finalised and is readily available.

Update on plans for the ‘Digital Switchover’ in CSW region

As you may already be aware, the UK’s telephone network is changing. By the end of 2025, most phone providers will have moved their customers from landlines served by the old analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to new upgraded services which use digital technology. This is commonly referred to as the ‘Digital Switchover’.

Why is this happening?

The PSTN or ‘copper landline network’ is nearing the end of its life. It is becoming increasingly unreliable and more expensive to maintain. The new digital network will provide a more resilient, reliable, sustainable and energy-efficient phone service for decades to come.

It will also provide customers with other benefits including clearer calls and extra features that will include blocking most scam and nuisance calls, offering customers better protection against fraud.

When is this happening?

Around 90% of all Warwickshire residents and businesses currently receive their service from one of the ‘big four’ fixed landline providers: BT (BT Business & BT Consumer Group), VMO2, Sky and TalkTalk.

VMO2 have already completed the switchover for the vast majority of their Warwickshire customers, while those in the Atherstone area of North Warwickshire due to be migrated in August 2024.

The situation with Sky and Talk Talk is slightly different. As most of their customers do not receive their phone services via the PSTN network that Openreach is switching off, there isn’t the same requirement to switch their phone lines over.

As for BT Consumer Group – the largest provider of residential fixed line phone services in the UK, they will start the migration of customers to their Digital Voice network in the Solihull and Warwickshire areas in February 2024.

They have a number of drop-in sessions planned across the region in the coming weeks to address any issues or concerns that customers may have about the switchover process. More information on events in your area can be found by visiting: Digital Voice Events | Digital Home Phone | BT

Each of the phone service providers has extensive plans in place to notify affected customers well in advance of their switchover date. This includes providing them with easy to understand step-by-step instructions of what they will need to do on the day to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

Drawbacks and further advice:

One of the main drawbacks of the new digital network is that differences between the two technologies means that there is a risk that devices that currently rely on the old network – such as telecare devices – will not necessarily work when switched over to the digital one.

All telecoms providers have plans in place to provide extra support to their more vulnerable customers and all have now signed up to a charter agreeing that they will not migrate vulnerable customers over to the new digital network until they are sure that a compatible telecare solution is in place.

However, if you think that you or someone you know may be affected by this, we would advise that you to get in touch with the phone service provider to ensure they are aware of the situation.

Another drawback is that your new digital landline may not work if there is a power cut. Openreach are working with the government and the power networks to help make the digital phone network more resilient in the event of any power outages.

Those with access to a mobile phone are advised to ensure these are sufficiently charged so that in the event of a blackout, calls – including those to emergency services – can still be made.

Battery back-up solutions can also be purchased and OFCOM has stated that if an ‘at-risk’ customer does not have any other means available, their telecoms provider must offer a solution to allow calls to be made to the emergency services. Your phone service provider will be able to provide more information on this.

Finally, it is worth noting that BT Business are following a totally separate migration rollout plan for their customers compared to BT Consumer Group. If you are a BT Business customer, we suggest you contact them to discuss the migration of your phone services to the digital network.

Take-up of social broadband tariffs rising but awareness of schemes still an issue

Ofcom’s recently published ‘Pricing trends for communications services in the UK’ report has revealed that the take-up of cheaper social broadband and mobile tariffs for those on state benefits has increased to 380,000 households compared to 220,000 six months ago. However, that still represents less than 10% of households on Universal Credit.

While consumer broadband and mobile services are often considered to be quite reasonably priced in the UK, there are always those in the most disadvantaged groups who may struggle with paying their bills. This is made worse by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, which has pushed more people into financial difficulty – with around 30% of UK consumers reporting difficulty affording their communications services (Oct 2023).

In response to this, Ofcom and the UK government have encouraged more providers to proactively introduce and promote low-cost Social Tariffs. While a number of broadband and mobile operators now offer such plans, awareness still remains a key issue with this latest report stating that 55% of eligible households are still unaware that such tariffs exist.

However, the level of awareness is set to increase this year as ISPs like Virgin Media (VMO2) proactively inform their customers about it.

Awareness is also being boosted by FasterBroadband – one of the few websites which actively promotes social tariffs. Their user-friendly comparison tool allows you to filter by broadband provider, different eligible benefits and by contract length, helping struggling households discover more affordable broadband options.

It is also worth noting that social broadband tariffs typically waive any early termination charges so if your circumstances change during your contract, you won’t be held accountable for the rest of your contract period.

Similarly, if you’re already in an existing contract and your current broadband provider offers a social tariff, you can switch to it without incurring any additional charges, provided you are eligible for it.

To download the full Ofcom report, visit: Pricing trends for communications services in the UK.

O2 UK trial 5G from drones with Warwickshire Search & Rescue

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) is working with the Warwickshire Search and Rescue team on a pioneering project that is set to save hundreds of lives across the UK.

In rural areas, such as parts of Warwickshire, emergency services and rescue teams often struggle to establish reliable communication when working in the most remote areas not served by traditional mobile networks. This makes it extremely difficult for rescue teams and the police to stay connected on time-critical rescue missions.

Now, VMO2’s 5G Technical Trials team has developed a solution that provides reliable 5G mobile connectivity to rescue teams using a network of low earth orbit satellites, which is small enough to be flown on a drone.

The drone, which can be rapidly deployed in remote areas by the search and rescue team, acts as an airborne mobile phone mast, providing those on-the-ground with 5G mobile connectivity no matter where their mission takes them.

This allows the rescue team to access essential information, communicate with one another, assess situations at speed and easily locate and save those in danger. The Warwickshire Search and Rescue team, which is a 24/7 volunteer force set up to assist police searching for vulnerable missing people, has been called out around 130 times in the last two years.

Across the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds and while many soon return home to family and friends, some do not – often because they suffer from a form of dementia or are at risk of harming themselves.

This solution has the potential to transform how search and rescue teams operate and will ultimately save many lives. It is further evidence of the positive impact improved connectivity can have upon our society.

BT & EE in talks with Starlink to boost rural broadband coverage

In January, a number of news sources reported that BT (EE) is in talks with Starlink to provide improved broadband and mobile coverage to the UK’s more remote and hard to reach areas.

The national telecoms giant has apparently already started testing the Starlink system of ultrafast low-latency broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at its Adastral Park research and development centre in Ipswich.

Initially, the technology will be deployed for BT’s business customers, focusing on providing broadband coverage for mines and oil rigs to start with. However, eventually, it is expected to be rolled out to consumers to ‘plug the gaps’ in areas of the UK that traditional infrastructure deployment methods have been unable to reach.

Starlink’s network currently has just over 5,300 LEO satellites orbiting 350 miles above the Earth but it has approval to add around 7,500 more by the end of 2027. Its growing UK customer base has increased from 13,000 in 2022 to over 42,000 in 2023 – most of which are in rural areas.

No formal agreement has yet been made between BT and Starlink for the provision of services in the UK and BT may have to seek regulatory approval from Ofcom before it can proceed with any deal.

Starlink is also in the process of launching its new global Direct to Cell mobile roaming service for use with regular unmodified smartphones. Although this would require support from both a mobile network and Ofcom in order to launch in the UK, EE may well be a good fit for something like this, given the BT Group’s wider experience in the field.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that BT is also conducting various government-backed UK rural broadband and mobile trials with one of Starlink’s rivals, OneWeb in their joint quest to find connectivity solutions in some of the country’s more challenging areas.

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Nearly 78,000 properties able to connect to the fibre network

Topics in this edition:

• CSW Project updates – Contract 3
• Thousands still to order a better broadband service after CSW Project upgrades
• Which? launches campaign to ban mid-contract broadband price hikes
• Leamington Spa set for £8 million fibre broadband boost
• Openreach Fibre Community Partnership schemes – update
• Case studies needed – Tell us your story!
• Copy for your own website or newsletter
• Your questions answered

CSW Project updates – Contract 3

Another 10 Contract 3 structures have now gone live since our last newsletter was published in July. The communities benefiting from these most recent upgrades include parts of the following areas:

Abbots Salford, Atherstone on Stour, Baginton, Blackdown, Bramcote, Harborough Magna, Lapworth, Lowsonford, Nuneaton and Whatcote.

Nearly 78,000 properties across the region are now able to connect to the fibre network thanks to the work that has now been completed by the CSW Broadband Project.

The pace of deployment is now starting to slow down somewhat as we deliver some of the more complex builds towards the end of Contract 3, which is due to be completed in December 2023.

As always, once we have received confirmation that a particular upgrade has been completed in the current build phase, we will try and inform as many of the affected residents as possible.

Remember, once your property has been upgraded, you won’t get a faster service automatically. You need to order the improved service with your chosen ISP in order to benefit from that upgrade.

 To check on your property’s broadband status, enter your landline number or address into the BT Broadband Availability Checker. Our How to use the BT Broadband Availability Checker webpage will help you make sense of the Broadband Checker results.

You might like to use a broadband comparison site such as MoneySavingExpert.com, Broadband Choices, Compare the Market, BroadbandProviders or uSwitch to find a fibre broadband package to suit you and your family’s needs.

Thousands still to order a better broadband service after CSW Project upgrades

Thousands of households and businesses across the CSW region may be missing out on the better broadband connectivity we have provided because they haven’t yet ordered an improved service.

Fast and reliable digital connectivity is no longer seen as a luxury but a necessity given its increasing importance to nearly everything we do in modern day life. For example, with a better broadband connection, you can:

• Browse the web faster and carry out online tasks such as shopping and internet banking more easily
• Stream HD films, TV and video services without delay
• Chat face-to-face with friends and family – wherever they are in the world
• Run multiple devices at the same time without your connection slowing down
• Work and study from home more easily
• Engage with services that are increasingly moving online
• Compete more effectively with other businesses in an increasingly competitive global market place.

We realise that some of you who want to order an improved service can’t at this moment in time because your connection hasn’t yet been upgraded.

However, the more households and businesses who have been upgraded that we can get to order an improved service, the more money that comes back into the project, meaning that we can then look into providing solutions for those still waiting for better connectivity.

To find out if you can order an improved service, enter your landline number or address into the BT Broadband Availability Checker. Our How to use the BT Broadband Availability Checker webpage will help you make sense of the Broadband Checker results.

Broadband comparison sites such as MoneySavingExpert.com, Broadband Choices, Compare the Market, BroadbandProviders or uSwitch can help you find a broadband package to suit your needs.

Which? launches campaign to ban mid-contract broadband price hikes

Consumer magazine Which? has launched the “Right to Connect” campaign, which accuses UK mobile and broadband providers of “duping consumers with their sneaky mid-contract price hikes” and is instead calling on the regulator, Ofcom, to “ban this practice” and deliver generally “clearer and fairer pricing”.

Ideally, consumers who take out a new broadband or mobile contract would enjoy a fixed monthly price for the entire length of their term. But many providers – particularly the largest players – have recently become notorious for adopting inflation linked price hikes and then making it harder to exit your contract penalty free if you don’t agree.

This approach has seen providers increasing their prices each year by up to nearly 4% plus the rate of annual inflation as set on a particular month. This resulted in many consumers being hit by average hikes of around 14% and in some cases far more, earlier this year.

According to Which?, this means broadband customers could be charged £150 more than they expected over the course of their contract, due to 2 years of eye-watering hikes.

With the rate of inflation now starting to fall, future hikes shouldn’t be as bad as last year. However, forecasts suggest it will still take until early 2025 before inflation settles back down to something close to the current 2% target. But whether Ofcom will go as far as to ban the practice remains to be seen.

So far, the UK Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP and BCAP) – sister bodies to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – have separately set out new guidance for how broadband ISPs and mobile operators should communicate mid-contract prices hikes to consumers, which will make such policies clearer and more transparent.

Meanwhile, Ofcom is still in the process of reviewing whether inflation-linked mid-contract hikes give customers “sufficient certainty and clarity about what they can expect to pay” with a verdict expected before the end of this year.

However, it’s important to point out that not all ISPs play this game, with Sky Broadband typically introducing less aggressive broadband rises (this year it was below the level of inflation) and many smaller providers being much more gradual in their increases, if they increase them at all.

On top of that, many modern full fibre (FTTP) networks have managed to buck this trend, often reducing prices rather than increasing them – due in no small part to the aggressively competitive market.

Please note that this is an abridged version of an article that appeared on the ISPreview website.

Leamington Spa set for £8 million fibre broadband boost

In September, Openreach announced that Royal Leamington Spa is one of the 19 new locations spread across the UK that is set to benefit from the ongoing roll-out of their gigabit-capable, Full Fibre broadband network.

Around 27,000 residential and businesses properties in the town are expected to benefit from this £8 million investment in the fibre network which will provide future-proof connectivity for decades to come.

Full Fibre broadband provides local households and businesses with more reliable and resilient connectivity with fewer faults as well as faster, more consistent speeds and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands.

Openreach recently passed more than 11.5 million premises in the UK and ultimately has plans to build their Full Fibre network to 25 million homes and businesses nationwide by December 2026.

For a more personalised view of an individual home or business, Openreach recommends using its online postcode checker where people can find out the specific broadband connectivity available at their address.

Openreach Fibre Community Partnership schemes – update

In June, we reported that thousands of residents and business owners were set to benefit from an Openreach proposal to upgrade whole exchange areas to full fibre through their Fibre Community Partnership (FCP) scheme.

Schemes in the Alderminster, Furnace End, Great Alne, Haseley Knob, Ilmington and Tanworth-in-Arden exchange areas had been approved by Building Digital UK (BDUK), with the network build being funded through the government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Under the terms of the scheme, eligible households and businesses can show their support by pledging the value of a gigabit voucher – worth up to £4,500. The value of these vouchers is then aggregated to offset the total cost of the build, so the network build won’t cost them a penny.

At the time of writing we are pleased to announce that the Alderminster, Haseley Knob and Ilmington schemes have reached their pledge targets. The Alderminster build has already started, the build in Ilmington will start in the new year, while surveying for the Haseley Knob build will start in January.

The Great Alne scheme is currently at 81% of the pledge target, while the Tanworth-in-Arden scheme is at 73%. However, the response from households and businesses served by the Furnace End exchange has been particularly sluggish with only 40% of the pledge target being reached.

This really is a golden opportunity to bring all properties in these communities up to gigabit-capable speeds so that they can take advantage of all the many benefits that will bring for decades to come.

Failure to secure enough voucher pledges will mean that the specific in that exchange area will not be able to go ahead, so your support could be invaluable.

To pledge your support for better connectivity in your community, simply go to Openreach’s Connect My Community website, enter your postcode, click ‘Search’ then add your support by clicking on the green ‘Pledge’ button and completing the simple online application form.

Local champions are proving to be incredibly effective in helping communities to achieve their pledge targets. If you live in the Furnace End, Great Alne or Tanworth exchange areas and would like to get involved, please email broadband@cswbroadband.org.uk and we will pass your details on to colleagues at Openreach.

Case studies needed – Tell us your story!

If having faster broadband has made a real difference to your life or business, why not tell us about it by submitting a case study.

We regularly appeal for case studies but sadly very few people respond. All we need are a few lines telling us of the difficulties you experienced before you had faster broadband and how life has improved since your property was upgraded.

We would also like to hear from you if your property hasn’t yet been upgraded. Again, all we need are a few lines telling us of the difficulties you are experiencing and how this is impacting on your household.

Submitting a case study, whether relaying a positive or negative experience, can be really useful in supporting our applications for additional funding, to help us take the fibre network to those in areas that are still waiting to experience the benefits of a faster broadband connection.

Copy for your own website or newsletter

As always, we have a range of short articles of around 300 words that can be downloaded for use in your own newsletters / websites should you wish to use them.

Your questions answered

Here are some of the Questions and Answers (Q&A’s) that residents have raised recently. Our website has a full set of Frequently Asked Questions, which are regularly updated.

What is Fibre on Demand?

We have received a number of enquiries from residents recently where the BT Broadband Availability Checker suggests that a product called FTTP on Demand is available at their property, offering speeds of up to 1000Mbps.

This is NOT the same as the Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) product that CSW has been installing, though it is easy to get the two products confused because they essentially function in identical ways. However, their cost, contract length and deployment methods have tended to be significantly different.

With the FTTP solution that CSW is installing (listed as ‘WBC FTTP’ under Featured Products on the BT Broadband Availability Checker), the fibre optic cable will have been installed outside your property (e.g. down your street), which makes it fairly quick and inexpensive to get connected.

By comparison, FTTP on Demand is designed to be requested (‘on demand‘) in Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) capable areas where the fibre optic cables have yet to reach specific properties. In some cases, this will attract significant distance-based construction charges (civil works) costing thousands of pounds.

Because of the high costs involved (and often the requirement for a much longer than standard contract), very few providers actually offer FTTP on Demand. Some providers that we are aware of include Cerberus Networks and FluidOne, though there may well be others.

FTTP on Demand is therefore likely to remain a niche product for those who are prepared to pay the often very expensive additional installation charges and a higher ongoing monthly cost.

For more information on making sense of the BT Broadband Availability Checker results, visit our How to use the BT Broadband Availability Checker webpage.

Can CSW influence how much ISPs charge for their services?

Unfortunately, we have no influence over the prices charged by commercial providers for internet services. Our role is to extend the wholesale fibre network as far as possible, and we are doing this through the contracts that we hold with Openreach.

As access to the network is available to all suppliers on an equal basis it is a purely commercial decision on the part of an ISP as to which packages they offer and at which price range.

The best thing is to shop around for a deal that is right for you. Please remember that some price comparison sites work by receiving a commission from the ISPs and may not list all of the available options. Therefore, you may want to try several such sites before making a decision.

A number of websites, including MoneySavingExpert.com, Usave and Which? provide useful advice on how to haggle for the best broadband deals which will hopefully help you to save money.

If you are currently struggling to pay your broadband bill, MoneySavingExpert.com’s Broadband for low income families webpage provides regularly updated information on the social tariffs that are currently available and information to help you find out if you qualify for these.

You can find more frequently asked broadband questions on our website.

Over 77500 properties now able to connect to the fibre network

Topics in this edition:

• CSW Project updates – Contract 3
• Thousands of Warwickshire residents could benefit from Openreach’s proposed FCP plans
• CityFibre making excellent progress with FTTP roll-out in Rugby
• Alternative solutions will support our quest for gigabit-capable connectivity
• Case studies needed – Tell us your story!
• Copy for your own website or newsletter
• Your questions answered

CSW Project updates – Contract 3

Another 12 Contract 3 structures have now gone live since our last newsletter was published in April. The communities benefiting from these most recent upgrades include parts of the following areas:

Barford, Bishops Tachbrook, Budbrooke, Claverdon, Chesterton, Deppers Bridge, Honiley, Hooknell, Lighthorne Rough, Littleworth, Marton, Moreton Morrell, Ratley and Wasperton.

Over 77,500 properties across the region are now able to connect to the fibre network thanks to the work completed by the CSW Broadband Project.

The pace of deployment is now starting to slow down somewhat as we deliver some of the more complex builds towards the end of Contract 3, which is due to be completed in December 2023.

The intention is then to move on to delivering the government’s Project Gigabit initiative and we will hopefully be able to provide you with a further update on this in our October newsletter.

As always, once we have received confirmation that a particular upgrade has been completed in the current build phase, we will try and inform as many of the affected residents as possible.

Remember, once your property has been upgraded, you won’t get a faster service automatically. You need to order the improved service with your chosen ISP in order to benefit from it. See our ‘Your questions answered’ section later in this newsletter for more information on this.

Thousands of Warwickshire residents could benefit from Openreach’s proposed FCP plans

Thousands of residents and business owners in rural areas of Warwickshire are set to benefit from an Openreach proposal to upgrade whole exchange areas to full fibre through their Fibre Community Partnership (FCP) scheme.

So far, Building Digital UK (BDUK) have approved six FCP schemes in the following exchange areas – Alderminster, Ilmington, Furnace End, Great Alne, Haseley Knob and Tanworth-in-Arden.

While some in these communities have already benefited from a full fibre connection from work carried out by the CSW Broadband Project or commercial providers, the aim is to upgrade the remaining properties in these exchange areas so that everyone in these communities can benefit.

The intention is for the schemes to be funded through the government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and so the network build in your area will not cost you a single penny.

Under the terms of the scheme, eligible residents and businesses can show their support by pledging the value of a gigabit voucher – worth up to £4,500. The value of these vouchers is then aggregated to offset the total cost of the build.

However, failure to secure enough voucher pledges will mean that the specific scheme in your exchange area will not be able to go ahead, so your support could be invaluable.

Openreach’s FCP team are actively engaging with residents and business owners in these areas to explain the benefits that full fibre connectivity can bring to their communities by talking to them directly, attending a series of parish council meetings and through online channels such as community Facebook pages.

Having a full fibre broadband connection provides homes and businesses with access to lightning-fast speeds through a far more reliable and stable connection, allowing you to browse the web faster, conduct online tasks more quickly and stream films and TV services without delay.

It also allows you to use multiple devices at the same time without your connection slowing you down and enables you to work from home more easily. Access to a full fibre connection has even been shown to increase the value of your property.

To pledge your support for better connectivity in your community, simply go to Openreach’s Connect My Community website, enter your postcode and click the Search button.

You’ll see details of how much has been pledged so far and you can add your support for the scheme in your area by clicking on the green ‘Pledge’ button and completing the simple online application form.

CityFibre making excellent progress with FTTP rollout in Rugby

Back in our October 2022 newsletter, we reported how network builder CityFibre had begun the roll-out of their new £17 million gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across Rugby.

The project, which started last September, aims to reach nearly every property in the town, providing residents and businesses with a fast, reliable network that will future-proof all their digital needs.

The build is progressing well with the infrastructure roll-out already completed in most parts of the Rokeby & Overslade, Admirals & Cawston and New Bilton areas of the town. The Newbold and Brownsover ward will be the next area to be upgraded.

The roll-out is being completed by CityFibre’s build partner, Callan Connect, who are working closely with Rugby Borough Council to ensure that any disruption is managed as safely and efficiently as possible.

The full deployment programme is expected to be completed in 2024 and both CityFibre and Callan Connect would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and patience with regards to this.

As CityFibre build wholesale networks, it means that there are a range of ISPs for customers to choose from, including Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, Giganet and iDNET amongst others.

Anyone interested in upgrading their homes / business to the lightning-fast broadband speeds provided by full fibre can find out more about the build, pre-register their interest and ensure they are updated on service availability at www.cityfibre.com/PR.

Alternative solutions will support our quest for gigabit-capable connectivity

As we have reported before, the government has ambitious plans to provide ‘gigabit capable’ broadband speeds of up to 1000Mbps to at least 85% of UK properties by December 2025 and to at least 99% by 2030.

The intention is to build a long-lasting network across the UK that will increase our competitiveness, boost productivity and meet the future demands of consumers and businesses for decades to come.

At least 80% of this coverage is expected to be achieved by the full fibre roll-out plans of commercial providers such as Openreach, Virgin Media, CityFibre and an array of smaller network builders, collectively known as AltNets.

The purpose of the government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit programme is to enable ‘harder to reach’ communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband in areas where network providers don’t have any plans to upgrade commercially.

CSW will oversee this work in our area through the full fibre deployment contract that is due to be awarded later this year by Building Digital UK (BDUK), the government agency who oversee projects like ours.

While the aim is to take full fibre to as many eligible premises as possible with the funds that will be made available, it is unrealistic to expect all of these eligible properties to benefit from a full fibre connection due to the costs involved with laying fibre to the more remote locations in our region.

BDUK recognise that this will be an issue across the nation and so a number of alternative, potentially more affordable gigabit-capable solutions are currently being investigated.

At a more local level, the CSW Broadband Project is also looking into what we can do over the coming years to try and ensure that no one misses out on the benefits of better connectivity.

Such solutions will include provision for better 4G and 5G mobile connectivity and possible hybrid solutions (e.g. a combination of fibre deployment and perhaps fixed wireless access to ensure connectivity for the more expensive, harder to reach areas of that community).

Another potential solution could be via low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations such as Starlink* or OneWeb. The UK Government’s Alpha Trials programme is currently supporting research into whether this could provide an effective and economically viable solution for hard to reach areas.

While this is still currently a relatively pricey solution for consumers in terms of the hardware and monthly service charges, costs are likely to come down in the near future as more and more companies – including Amazon and Facebook – enter the new race for space, all vying for a piece of the mega constellation pie.

So, while full fibre is still the preferred option, we are looking at potential alternatives for where full fibre is unlikely to be an economically viable solution to try and ensure that we can all benefit from lightning-fast connectivity in the coming years.

*If you know of anyone who is currently using a low earth orbit satellite solution – such as Starlink – in the Warwickshire / Solihull area, please encourage them to share their experiences / opinions of using this system by emailing us at broadband@cswbroadband.org.uk

Case studies needed – Tell us your story!

If having faster broadband has made a real difference to your life or business, why not tell us about it by submitting a case study.

We regularly appeal for case studies but sadly very few people respond. All we need are a few lines telling us of the difficulties you experienced before you had faster broadband and how life has improved since your property was upgraded.

We would also like to hear from you if your property has not yet benefited from an upgrade. Again, all we need are a few lines telling us of the difficulties you are experiencing and how this is impacting on your household.

Submitting a case study, whether relaying a positive or negative experience, can be really useful in supporting our applications for additional funding, to help us take the fibre network to those in areas that are still waiting to experience the benefits of a faster broadband connection.

Copy for your own website or newsletter

As always, we have a range of short articles of around 300 words that can be downloaded for use in your own newsletters / websites should you wish to use them.

Your questions answered

Here are some of the Questions and Answers (Q&A’s) that residents have raised recently. Our website has a full set of Frequently Asked Questions, which are regularly updated.

Once an upgrade is complete, will I automatically get a faster service?

No. You must order an improved broadband package through your chosen Internet Service Provider (ISP) to take advantage of the faster speeds. This is what we suggest you do.

First of all, enter your landline or address into the BT Broadband Availability Checker.

If your property has been upgraded to superfast broadband via a Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) solution, then ‘VDSL Range A & B’ will be listed under ‘Featured Products’ along with the speeds you are likely to achieve.

If your property has been upgraded to ultrafast broadband via a Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) solution, then ‘WBC FTTP’ will be listed under ‘Featured Products’ column.

Our How to use the BT Broadband Availability Checker webpage will help you make sense of these results.

Then use one of the many broadband comparison sites available online (such as those listed below) to find and order the right package at the right price for your household or business:

Broadband Choices, Broadband Finder, Broadband Genie, BroadbandProviders, Cable.co.uk, Choose, Comparethemarket, MoneySuperMarket, Uswitch and Which?

The ordering process is slightly different if your property has benefited from an FTTP upgrade. Our Ordering an FTTP service webpage provides you with information on the installation process and also includes a list of ISPs who state that they offer residential and / or business packages in all or parts of the CSW region.

Can CSW influence how much ISPs charge for their services?

Unfortunately, we have no influence over the prices charged by commercial providers for internet services. Our role is to extend the wholesale fibre network as far as possible, and we are doing this through the contracts that we hold with Openreach.

As access to the network is available to all suppliers on an equal basis it is a purely commercial decision on the part of an ISP as to which packages they offer and at which price range.

The best thing is to shop around for a deal that is right for you. Please remember that some price comparison sites work by receiving a commission from the ISPs and may not list all of the available options. Therefore, you may want to try several such sites before making a decision.

A number of websites, including MoneySavingExpert.com, Usave and Which? provide useful advice on how to haggle for the best broadband deals which will hopefully help you to save money.

If you are currently struggling to pay your broadband bill, MoneySavingExpert.com’s Broadband for low income families webpage provides regularly updated information on the social tariffs that are currently available and information to help you find out if you qualify for these.

You can find more frequently asked broadband questions on our website.

Over 77500 properties now able to connect to the fibre network

Topics in this edition:

• CSW Project updates – Contract 3
• Millions of broadband consumers hit by April price hikes
• Harbury & Shipston first to benefit from Gigaclear’s FTTP rollout
• CityFibre complete Binley Woods FTTP broadband build
• Over a third of UK consumers don’t know if they have full fibre broadband
• Case studies needed – Tell us your story!
• Copy for your own website or newsletter
• Your questions answered

CSW Project updates – Contract 3

Another 18 Contract 3 structures have now gone live since our last newsletter was published in January. The communities benefiting from these most recent upgrades include parts of:

Alcester Heath, Austrey, Bearley, Bassetts Pole, Coughton, Dorsington, Knowle, Priors Marston, Radford Semele, Snitterfield, Stratford (Rother Street), Upper Fulbrook and Warwick (Woodloes Lane).

Over 77,500 properties across the region are now able to connect to the fibre network thanks to the work completed by the CSW Broadband Project.

As always, once we have received confirmation that a particular upgrade has been completed, we will try and inform as many of the affected residents as possible.

Remember, once your property has been upgraded, you won’t get a faster service automatically. You need to order the improved service with your chosen ISP in order to benefit from it. See our ‘Your questions answered’ section later in this newsletter for more information on this.

Millions of broadband consumers hit by April price hikes

Millions of broadband customers have been hit with price hikes of up to 17.3% this spring, off the back of a sharp increase in the cost of living, MoneySavingExpert recently reported.

ISPs can increase their prices mid-contract by the rate of inflation as ”published” in January each year, plus an extra amount on top (usually around 4 percentage points), as set out in their terms and conditions.

Providers have blamed the increase, which is then introduced to consumer bills between March and April of that same year, on their underlying and operating costs going up substantially as a result of regulatory requirements, higher energy prices and increased network costs.

In February, industry regulator Ofcom announced it would investigate the practice of mid-contract price hikes, amid concerns telecom providers aren’t being clear enough about what customers can expect to pay over the course of their contracts.

The MoneySavingExpert article, which was published earlier this month, provides a useful table showing a list of ISPs, how much prices will rise by and when they will come into effect, as well as advice on switching (if you are out of contract) and haggling for a better deal if you are still in contract.

It is also worth remembering that there are a lot of smaller ISPs out there that only very rarely increase their prices, if at all and quite a few of those have also adopted price freezes.

If you live in an area that has recently been covered by a new alternative FTTP network, then the aggressive market competition that currently exists between providers often ensures that prices should remain low as they all compete for your custom.

Harbury & Shipston first to benefit from Gigaclear’s FTTP rollout

The communities of Shipston-on-Stour and Harbury are set to become the first in Warwickshire to benefit from the ultrafast full fibre broadband networks currently being built by Gigaclear, one of the UK’s largest Altnets.

The network builder has invested heavily in a build programme that will bring fibre to the premise (FTTP) broadband to between 5-8,000 residential and business properties across the county.

The company’s main access cabinets in both Shipston and Harbury have now gone live, meaning that residents and businesses in these villages will soon be able to take advantage of a network offering ultrafast broadband with upload and download speeds of up to 900Mbps.

Services will start going live in Shipston-on-Stour and Harbury in April and will continue to do so during the spring and early summer. Services in Southam will also start going live during the summertime.

Priors Marston is also set to benefit from Gigaclear’s full fibre build programme later this year, while a number of other communities across Warwickshire are also being considered for future builds beyond that.

As Gigaclear are building a whole new infrastructure network, residents and businesses will have a range of ISPs to choose from once the networks have gone live. For more information on how to order a service, visit: Ultrafast Full Fibre Broadband | Gigaclear

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CityFibre complete Binley Woods FTTP broadband build

Network operator CityFibre have also announced that they have completed their deployment of a new 1Gbps Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) broadband network to over 1,000 homes in the Warwickshire village of Binley Woods.

The project, which only started in August 2022, cost around £500,000 to build and is an extension of CityFibre’s existing network in nearby Coventry.

As CityFibre build wholesale networks, it means that there are a range of ISPs for customers to choose from, including Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, Giganet and iDNET amongst others.

Over a third of UK consumers don’t know if they have full fibre broadband

A recently published YouGov survey has revealed that over a third of the adults asked were still unsure as to whether their home broadband ISP connections were based off “full fibre” technology or not.

For the avoidance of doubt, a full fibre connection – often referred to as ‘Fibre to the Premise’ or ‘FTTP’ – is where the fibre connection goes directly into your home. With an FTTP connection, the benefits include: significantly faster and more stable speeds, greater reliability, faster latency times, lower maintenance costs and so forth.

However, as ISP Review mentioned in their recent article on this subject, numerous broadband ISPs have spent much of the last decade selling slower “part-fibre” or “hybrid-fibre” (e.g. FTTC, G.fast, Hybrid Fibre Coax) solutions as “fibre broadband” products, which is one of the reasons why so many people continue to be confused about the terminology today.

In 2021, the Gigabit Take-Up Advisory Group proposed several changes to the Government and Ofcom, which were aimed at helping to boost the take-up of gigabit-capable broadband services. One of those included clearer labelling of broadband packages to help consumers understand the differences.

Although there hasn’t been a great deal of movement on this over the last couple of years, Ofcom have now launched their consultation on improving broadband information for customers.

If you would like to have your say on how you think this could be improved, the above consultation is open until 3^rd May 2023.

Case studies needed – Tell us your story!

If having faster broadband has made a real difference to your life or business, why not tell us about it by submitting a case study.

We regularly appeal for case studies but sadly very few people respond. All we need are a few lines telling us of the difficulties you experienced before you had faster broadband and how life has improved since your property was upgraded.

We would also like to hear from you if your property has not yet benefited from an upgrade. Again, all we need are a few lines telling us of the difficulties you are experiencing and how this is impacting on your household.

Submitting a case study, whether relaying a positive or negative experience, can be really useful in supporting our applications for additional funding, to help us take the fibre network to those in areas that are still waiting to experience the benefits of a faster broadband connection.

Copy for your own website or newsletter

As always, we have a range of short articles of around 300 words that can be downloaded for use in your own newsletters / websites should you wish to use them.

Your questions answered

Here are some of the Questions and Answers (Q&A’s) that residents have raised recently. Our website has a full set of Frequently Asked Questions, which are regularly updated.

How do I switch to a different broadband provider?

You may wish to switch your broadband provider for a number of reasons including: poor quality of service, moving house or business premises, you need additional features that your current internet service provider (ISP) doesn’t offer or you can get a better and / or cheaper deal with another ISP.

Whatever your reason for wanting to switch, the first thing you need to do is check to see if you can leave your current provider. You will need to check your current contract and make sure that you have completed the minimum term because if you haven’t, you could be hit with a heavy cancellation fee for leaving early.

Even if you have served the minimum term, most ISPs will still require you to give them a month’s notice and there may be a cancellation fee involved.

The next step is to find a broadband package that suits you. There are a number of comparison sites available which you may want to take a look at before making a decision including:

Broadband Choices, Broadband Finder, Broadband Genie, BroadbandProviders, Cable.co.uk, Choose, Comparethemarket, MoneySuperMarket, Uswitch and Which?

It is also important that you check that the new service you wish to sign up to is available in your area. While some of the sites listed above will only provide information at a postcode level, others allow consumers to search for broadband providers by their exact address.

From April 2023, new rules introduced by Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, mean that you’ll only ever have to contact one provider (the one you plan to switch to).

The process should also be faster, taking as little as a day, and providers will have to compensate you if something goes wrong and you’re left without service for more than one working day.

There are a number of websites, including Which? and Moneysaving Expert which can offer you further information and expert advice if you are thinking of switching broadband providers.

I have been let down by the engineer who was supposed to be installing my broadband. What can I do?

Unfortunately, this is outside the remit of the CSW Broadband Project as our role is only to install the fibre network. This is an issue that you will have to take up with your ISP as it is down to them to arrange for the installation.

There are millions of cases each year where broadband or landline customers experience connectivity issues, installation delays or missed engineer appointments from either their current or new broadband provider which is why in April 2019, Ofcom introduced their automatic compensation scheme.

Under the terms of the agreement, if an engineer does not arrive on schedule or cancels with less than 24 hours’ notice, you will receive £26.24 in compensation. If a service stops working and is not fully fixed after two full working days, customers will be entitled to £8.40 for each day that the service is not repaired.

If a new provider (ISP) has indicated the specific start date of a new service, but fails to start the new service by the promised date, you will be entitled to £5.25 for each day the service is delayed, including the missed start date. (These new rates of compensation came into effect as of January 6, 2023.)

You should receive this compensation, which will usually appear as a credit on your bill, within 30 calendar days.

Unfortunately, not all ISPs are signed up to this scheme. However, if you are a BT, EE, Hyperoptic Broadband, NOW Broadband, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, Vodafone or Zen Internet customer (information correct as of January 6, 2023) then you should be covered by the scheme – as outlined above.

 You can find more frequently asked broadband questions on our website.