Superfast broadband is a reality for some in the UK, however there are still many businesses mainly in rural areas, that are struggling with reliable internet connections. The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) released their Digital Economy Survey on the 27th March, revealing that despite companies saying that fast broadband was extremely important to their businesses, many are still struggling with reliable broadband connections.
Out of all of the companies surveyed by the BCC, 99% of them agreed that a reliable broadband connection is important, yet nearly 1 in 5 suffer from poor and slow connections. The survey also revealed that businesses in more rural areas of the UK are at least twice as likely to have an unreliable connection.
Despite this, Worcestershire is fortunate to be benefiting from a £3.7 million expansion from The Superfast Worcestershire broadband partnership, enabling more than 3,000 more households and businesses in the county to access superfast broadband for the first time.
The majority of fibre deployment in Worcestershire is Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC). FTTC uses fibre-optic cables throughout the network right up to the street cabinet. It then uses copper (or in some cases aluminium) wires to connect the cabinet to homes and businesses, offering download speeds up to 80Mbps.
Local areas where FTTP has been deployed to date include parts of: Badsey, Hartlebury, Kidderminster, Worcester, Redditch, Ipsley, Cutnall Green, Droitwich, Bromsberrow (Hollybush), and Birtsmorton telephone exchange areas.
As Superfast Worcestershire reaches more challenging and geographically difficult areas, FTTP is planned for the following exchanges: Leigh Sinton, Bromsgrove, Hillside, Wythall, Hanley Swan, Knightwick, Malvern, Redditch, Stourport, Wychbold, Pebworth, Inkberrow, Hanbury, Droitwich, Wichenford, Upton upon Severn, Great Witley, and Evesham.