Connecting Shropshire Update

[Community Online 65]

The Connecting Shropshire programme was introduced to provide better broadband to areas that were not currently part of existing deployment by commercial providers. Within the Shropshire Council area there are 142,000 defined premises. Of these 72,000 premises form part of the Connecting Shropshire programme area.

 

Here is the August 2013 update

 

(Remember you need to be a member and signed in to download attachments)

 

Broadband Update - August 2013.pdf

[Maggie 65]

For those of us who are on the Chirk Exchange, (which seems to flummox Shropshire Council), Superfast Cymru have a website which is detailing the progress of installation of fibre optic cabling across Wales.  There is no date given yet for Chirk Exchange upgrade, but you can register on the site for email updates.  http://www.superfast-cymru.com/where-and-when

[leebarnfield 30]

I think some people have been brainwashed a little in to thinking they require these superfast internet speeds of 30 - 40Mb when in reality they are only sending emails and browsing webpages. 

 

All I think I am after is a reliable, consistent speeds say 10Mb or even 5Mb as long as I got that pretty much all of the time.  Weston Rhyn seems to be very inconsistent, In a very unscientific test I got myself and someone in a neighbouring road to test the line at the same moment.  I was getting around 100k and they were getting 4Mb.

[Maggie 65]

Mmm but as the great majority of people get faster broadband, websites become more dense with extra add on stuff which means that download speeds need to be increased to keep up.   I would like to be able to watch telly programmes without the pauses and pink circles (even on lower broadband width settings) and would like to be able to use Skype with video. ButI  know that parts of St Martins have such slow downloads that they cannot even do that.  I would love 5Mb, guess that St Martins would think 4Mb was revolutionary.  It is the fluctuations which annoy most,  like you said, from almost nothing or nothing, to 4Mb are usual here.   Maybe users of Community Online could report on their speeds to get a picture from around the area?

 

Anyhow, true to their word, Superfast Cymru have updated their website, and Chirk exchange is due to be upgraded by March 2015 but only for Welsh premises served by that exchange.  I am querying this... will get back with the answer.

[Maggie 65]

Superfast Cymru have confirmed that this project is only upgrading Welsh premises.  Unlike Connecting Shropshire they have funding to upgrade Welsh premises which are served by English exchanges.  Yet again it looks like we are going to be ignored up here for the greater good of central and south Shropshire.

[leebarnfield 30]

So it's looking like we aren't in the Shropshire program because we are on the welsh Chirk exchange, but we don't get upgraded because we are in Shropshire. 

 

Is it confirmed that we aren't in the Shropshire upgrade program?  When I put in my postcode on the Connecting Shropshire webpage it says that my address is part of the program.

 

It's a shame @connectingshrop aren't as good at responding on Twitter as @superfastcymru

[Maggie 65]

The map is here.

 

http://connectingshropshire.co.uk/connecting-shropshire-fibre-deployment-map/

 

It looks like most of Weston Rhyn is to be upgraded in 2015, but most of St Martins is under 'seeking extra funding'.  However the boundary of the map of Shropshire Broadband doesn't coincide with the geographical boundaries so it is difficult to work from.  When the council officer announced the broadband improvements at the last LJC in June he was wrong footed when he discovered we were on the Chirk exchange and he had no answers.

[Community Online 65]

There has been a response from @connectingshrop saying "Connecting Shropshire takes care of Shropshire premises connected to a Welsh exchange."

[Maggie 65]

Oh that is good.  But we do need some clarification, because there was a lot of confusion from Shrops Council at the last LJC when they were representing the project to our area.

[Simple Simon 36]

 

Chris Taylor from Connecting Shropshire will be giving an update at the next LJC.

[Community Online 65]

Attached is the November update from Connecting Shropshire

 

Broadband Update - November 2013.pdf