There were quite a few of us gathered into the Village Hall on January 14th. Wessex Internet gave us a nice presentation of what was happening. They came across as a well run, customer-focused company that should be fairly reasonable to deal with.
Project Gigabit is a govenment funded project to bring super fast broadband to South Wiltshire. This includes Middle and Upper Woodford, Great Durnford, Netton and Salterton (Lower Woodford already has full fibre).
To find out more about Wessex Internet, you can visit their website
Here are the key points that I took away. Wessex Internet have kindly looked through this and made some helpful clarifications and comments. Words from Wessex Internet are added in bold italics.
- The project to lay fibre to all parts of the Woodford Vally was progressing nicely through the planning stage. There were a couple of landowners that needed to agree to where the fibre would go, but things were generally in good shape.
- The installation would take place during the first few months of 2025 and by spring time they should be ready to connect properties.
- There are a number of packages that customers can select. The two most of interest to valley residents are probably 'Full Fibre Lite' at £29 a month inc VAT or 'Full Fibre 250' at £39.50 inc VAT
- The Lite package will give you speeds of 100 Mbs (probably more than double of what you get already). It will allow you 100GB of data a month - about 40 hours per month of high definition video streaming, 30 hours a day of music streaming or millions of emails.
- If you have a family using the same connection, you might prefer Full Fibre 250 which is unlimited amounts of downloading and speeds of 250 Mbs (probably more than five times faster than your current conneciton) and possibly cheaper than your current provider.
- When you sign up, you commit to one year. After that you move to a one month rolling contract at no extra cost.
- If more companies offer a fibre connection, you will be free to switch to them after that first year. Not strictly true! Other providers need to make agreements with us first, before they can offer their services through the network, just as they offer their services through the Openreach network now. Our network is open to third parties because we are Ofcom regulated, it is just a matter of time before other providers are available through the network, but I can’t say when that will happen.
- When Wessex Interent come to connect your property, you will be able to discuss with them the best way to avoid your prize collection of rhodedendroms. Correct to a point, but we will have planned the provision method for each house and will not be able to change that. Either overhead cable, through existing ducting or through the garden. Only in the latter case can we work with the owner on the exact route through their garden. If the connection is to be overhead, we can tack the fibre around the house and enter at the homeowner’s preferred point, however.
- If you live in an old cottage with thick cob walls, you can sign up for extenders to give you internet throughout your home.
- You can move your home phone number to Wessex Internet for about £7 a month. You can keep your existing number and once your number has been moved across, cancel that enormous BT bill you are paying every month.
- You can get more information on Wessex Internet from their website.
- By expressing an interest now, it will include your house in the planning process and get you connected as quickly as possible. You don't need to commit until they are ready to put in the connection. Just to clarify, registering their interest allows us to update people on the progress of the build and call about taking an order. Only when someone places an order will we organise the connection. The order is an advanced registration of interest and can be cancelled until the day of connection. Placing an order puts you ahead of the queue for an eventual installation.