Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has welcomed news that homes and businesses in Prestatyn, Denbigh and Rhyl are to benefit from ultra-reliable and gigabit-capable ‘Full Fibre’ (FTTP) broadband, and is working with Openreach in a bid to resolve the ongoing problems some rural residents have with broadband accessibility.
Openreach recently announced plans to make ‘Full Fibre’ (FTTP) broadband available to more than three million more homes and businesses, including in Prestatyn, Denbigh and Rhyl.
James recently met with the company to discuss the project, and also the fact that some residents living in rural parts of the constituency still do not have any form of fibre broadband.
Speaking after the meeting, James said:
“It is absolutely fantastic news that ultra-reliable and gigabit-capable ‘Full Fibre’ (FTTP) broadband is to be made available to homes and businesses in Prestatyn, Rhyl and Denbigh, giving them some of the fastest broadband speeds in Europe and placing them ahead of much of the UK.
"However, it is deeply regrettable that some of my constituents living in rural locations still do not have any form of fibre broadband and I am working with Openreach to address this.
“Fibre technology creates connections capable of delivering speeds of up to 1GBps, which will address people’s needs not only today, but well into the future. I was told at the meeting with Openreach that the rollout would be to Prestatyn first, with Denbigh and Rhyl to follow.
“The Covid pandemic, which has resulted in more people than ever working and studying from home, has highlighted to us all the importance of having highspeed, reliable broadband. Nobody in this day and age should be without a dependable connection.”
Openreach CEO, Clive Selley, said: “At Openreach, we’re convinced that Full Fibre technology can underpin the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
“Right now, we’re building a new, ultra-reliable full fibre network that will boost productivity, cut commuting and carbon emissions, and connect our families, public services and businesses for decades to come. It’s Ofcom’s proposals that give us the right conditions to build commercially in hardest to reach areas.
“We’re determined to find inventive engineering solutions and effective partnership funding models to reduce costs and enable us to connect as many communities as possible across the UK without public subsidy.
“Openreach is leading the charge to help Government achieve its target of making gigabit capable networks available nationwide by 2025. And we hope that by publishing our own plans, we can help ensure that taxpayers only fund connections in communities that really need public support.”
People interested in seeing whether they can upgrade their broadband can see what’s available in their area by entering their postcode into the Openreach online fibre checker.
