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Over 52,000 homes and businesses are now able to access fibre
broadband thanks to the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) Programme.
Since our last update in July we have been really busy, delivering an additional 20 new
fibre cabinets across Nottinghamshire increasing our fibre coverage to an
additional 2,400 premises across the County.
On the 12th August we also announced
that we had achieved a significant milestone in reaching 50,000 properties
across Nottinghamshire enabling them to sign up to a superfast service. This
incredible achievement has been reached just 14 months after the first BBfN
properties went live.
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In
addition to this, we also switched on our first
‘All in One’ fibre broadband cabinet
– a first for the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire Programme – in the
market town of Warsop.
Pictured are; Paul Bimson, BT East Midlands
Regional Partnership Director, Mike Johnson of Warsop Infotech and Councillor
Diana Meale, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Economic Development
Committee.
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The good news just keeps coming!
You may have seen the announcement from the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport showing that the rollout of the government-funded
superfast broadband programme has now reached more than three million homes and
businesses. Such a great achievement. If you didn’t manage to see these announcements, we’ve
included links to them here for you:
Nottinghamshire
County Council
The Chad
The Hucknall Dispatch
Department
for Culture, Media and Sport
Special Feature
for this month: Exchange Only Lines
Recently the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire programme
has seen a lot more focus on Exchange Only Lines (EOLs), with the programme
increasingly starting to tackle the networks pure copper EOLs through the more
expensive ‘Network Rearrangement’ approach.
Due to increasing numbers of enquiries that we are receiving
regarding certain technical aspects of the programme, we have decided to bring
you information this month on Exchange Only Lines, including what it means for
you as a resident when you’re connected directly to the exchange, how we
overcome this challenge and connect you to a fibre cabinet and a little bit
about the history of EOLs.
I’ve been told I have
an Exchange Only Line, what does that mean?
The vast majority of UK premises are connected to a green
roadside cabinet which then connects to the local exchange. However, a small
proportion of business and consumer properties are served directly by the local
exchange rather than by a green cabinet – these are known as Exchange Only Lines.
Can I change my EOL
connection so that it goes via a cabinet?
The network over which fibre broadband is provided is
bespoke and all premises are served from dedicated fixed distribution points.
Many lines are connected via their own overhead or underground link to a nearby
green telephony cabinet. EOLs, by
their very nature, are not connected to green telephony cabinets, instead being
connected via their own bespoke fixed link directly to the local exchange.
The network rearrangements can be both costly and time
consuming due to the fact that BT Openreach need to reconstruct part of the
local infrastructure and build new cabinets from scratch, which is a lot more
work than their usual approach of upgrading existing cabinets. However, we have
already made great progress in lots of areas within Nottinghamshire and are set
to continue with our network rearrangement approach.
Why am I on an EOL?
Many years ago when the first phones were invented, if you
were one of the few people who had the luxury of being able to afford a
telephone you would have been connected directly back to the exchange via a
copper line. Over the years as both the
technology and the network have evolved and more and more people started to
gain access to telephones, the network configuration had to change. In
addition, as villages and towns started to develop the number of premises needing
access to the telephone increased. Over time copper cabinets (the ones that now
look a little dated) started to be built. These copper cabinets are called
Primary Connection Points (PCPs).
Essentially, a PCP would be located near your premises which would then
be feed a distribution point such as a telegraph pole from which a line would
come directly into your house.
Want a faster speed?
Upgrade your service!
With almost 300 cabinets now live and ready to take orders there’s no time
like the present to take advantage of what fibre optic broadband can do for
you. Remember, installing the cabinet is only half the story!
To
benefit from the faster speeds on offer from the fibre-optic cabling, please
remember you must upgrade your existing connection. If you don’t, you won’t
benefit from the new speeds and all the other benefits on offer. You can do
this by either discussing the options with your existing Internet Service
Provider or by reviewing the information on price comparison sites.
Fibre
broadband is already available in these areas:
Arnold, Aslockton, Averham, Beckingham, Beeston, Blyth,
Bilsthorpe, Bingham, Bleasby, Bramcote, Bunny, Burton Joyce, Carlton on Trent,
Clayworth,Clipstone, Coddington, Cotgrave, Collingham, Cropwell Bishop,
Cropwell Butler, Cuckney, Drakeholes, East Bridgford, East Leake, East Drayton,
East Markham, Edwinstowe, Elkesley, Elston, Epperstone, Everton, Farndon,
Gedling, Gotham, Gringley-on-the-Hill, Harworth, Halam, Hucknall,
Kelham,Keyworth, Kimberley, Kirkby in Ashfield, Kirton, Lambley, Laneham,
Laxton, Lowdham, Mansfield, Mansfield Woodhouse, Mattersey, Misterton, Nether
Broughton, Nether Headon, Netherfied, Newark, New Ollerton, North
Leverton,North Muskham, Orston, Ordsall, Papplewick, Perlethorpe, Pinxton,
Pleasley, Ranskill, Rampton, Rempstone, Retford, Ruddington, Sandiacre,
Saundby, Scrooby, Selston, Shireoaks, Southwell, Sturton le Steeple, Sutton in
Ashfield, Sutton-on-Trent, Thorpe, Tuxford, Underwood, Upton, Warsop, Watnall,
West Bridgford, West Markham, Weston, Whatton, Willoughby on the Wolds,
Worksop, Wysall.
If your area is not on this list, visit our regularly updated ‘Where and When’
checker to find out if and when fibre broadband is coming to your area.
Find out how to
upgrade.
 Nottinghamshire
Digital Champions’ Network
The Nottinghamshire Digital Champions’ Network (NDCN) is being
delivered on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council by Digital Unite.
The NDCN are still looking for Digital Champions to help spread
the word across the county. If you’re a proactive individual who is willing to
support people in getting online and helping people send an email then do
register your interest here. You don’t have to be an expert and there is plenty
of support available within the network once you have joined up.
Find
out more online.
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Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme* for businesses
In our last bulletin we highlighted the benefits of the Broadband
Connection Voucher Scheme however, we want to remind everyone
that thanks to Nottinghamshire County Council the scheme is now operating Countywide
meaning more and more businesses can benefit.
The
scheme provides grants of up to £3,000 to cover the capital and equipment costs
of upgrading your broadband connection. You pay the VAT charged and the monthly
line rental to your service provider. The monthly costs vary by provider and
package, but a quarter of businesses pay £40 per month or less.
What do
you do next?
Spread the word amongst other businesses. If there's a number of business units
in one location, you can aggregate your vouchers to create a much bigger pot of
funding.
*The scheme is being delivered by Nottingham
City Council.
Show your
support - ‘Like’ Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire on Facebook
Join us on
Facebook and help us to achieve our next milestone of 300 likes. By 2 September 297 people liked our Facebook page, so please do help and encourage as many of your friends and
family to like the page too.
It’s a great way of keeping in touch, seeing what’s happening
in your communities and being part of the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire
ever growing community. Why not post a selfie of yourself, your family or your
business showing others what fibre is like for you? We’re always keen for as
many people as possible to share their experiences of life before and life
after fibre!
If you prefer Twitter, then we are looking for
as many selfie images as possible to be tweeted with the hashtag #hugacabinet
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