Providers race to equip village with superfast broadband

Friday 18 January 2019 by Charlotte Whyatt 

Two gigabit broadband operators are racing to provide a Somerset village with superfast broadband. 

Abingdon-based Gigaclear and Truespeed who work out of Bristol have both proposed to extend their full-fibre network out to the 300 homes which make up Walton-in-Gordano. 

Gigaclear were originally set to connect up the village as part of the government-backed Connecting Devon and Somerset scheme by 2020.

But a series of significant delays in the past few months have raised genuine concern that it could take even longer, leaving residents stuck with slow copper ADSL lines. 

Truespeed then stepped in and offered to take on the job for around £500,000 and on the condition that 30% of residents provisionally sign up for their service.  

They said it would take between 12 to 18 months for them to fully complete the project, meaning they’d very likely be done before Gigaclear. 

A definitive plan of action has yet to emerge from the village as representatives from Truespeed continue to make a case for the provider. 

Gigaclear have reassured residents of their commitment to the project stating they’re still confident they’ll be able to connect everybody up by 2020. 

There’s technically no reason why the two providers couldn’t co-exist side by side and allow residents to make their own choice. 

Source: Hull Daily Mail