Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
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by Lib Dem team on 25 September, 2012
Local residents in Cheadle and Gatley have been frustrated at missing out on the latest Superfast Broadband from BT – until now. BT have now confirmed that the Gatley exchange (which covers both villages) is one of three in Greater Manchester to be upgraded to Superfast Broadband in 2013.
Here’s the press release:
14 CommentsBT today announced a further major investment in Greater Manchester pledging to roll-out £2.5 billion high-speed fibre broadband network to more than 23,000 more homes and businesses across the area.
Collyhurst, Gatley and Longford are among the latest communities to benefit. All are due to be upgraded in 2013.
The latest investment will take the total number of homes and businesses in Greater Manchester able to connect to the fibre network to more than 892,000. Around 769,000 already have access in upgraded areas, and BT is keen to bring more communities within reach by working with the public sector.
Mike Blackburn, BT’s regional director for the North West, said: “Fibre broadband opens up a whole new, high speed world. This latest major investment will help Greater Manchester to overcome the current economic challenges and take full advantage of the upturn when it comes.
“Digital technology is fundamental to how we live and work – and in an increasingly connected world, high-speed communications will become even more essential in the years ahead. Research suggests fibre broadband could give a £143 million boost to a typical town’s economy and create 225 new jobs and 140 new businesses within 15 years.
“The fibre broadband network we’re building today will underpin the local economy for many years to come – and we’re keen to go further, working with the public sector to take technology to places outside current commercial roll-out plans.
“The arrival of fibre broadband in each of these new locations will revolutionise the way people use the internet for work, education and connecting with public services.”
Clive Memmott, chief executive of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “Today’s announcement by BT is helping to deliver world-class broadband infrastructure across Greater Manchester. Everyone recognises the importance of super-fast broadband, not just for its contribution to the local economy and potential to create new businesses and jobs, but for every aspect of modern life.
“In the current economic climate, such an investment is to be greatly welcomed. But longer term it’s also essential that people and organisations take up this exciting technology and make the most of the new network.”
BT’s local network business Openreach is making fibre broadband available to around two-thirds of UK homes and businesses on a commercial basis by the end of 20142 using a mix of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) technologies.
More than 11 million premises can already access fibre broadband and that number is growing all the time.
Both technologies offer speeds many times faster than the current UK average, reported by the regulator Ofcom to be 9Mbps. FTTC, where fibre is delivered to new street cabinets, offers download speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps.
FTTP, where fibre runs all the way to homes and businesses, offers a variety of download speeds with the current top speed being 330Mbps3. From Spring 2013 BT aims to make speeds of 330Mbps available on demand in any area where FTTC has been deployed.
Internet users with a fibre broadband connection can do much more online, all at the same time. A family can download a movie, watch a TV replay service, surf the net and play games online simultaneously. A whole album can be downloaded in less than 30 seconds
and a feature length HD movie in less than 10 minutes, whilst high-resolution photos can be uploaded to Facebook in seconds.
The upload speeds are the fastest widely available to consumers in the UK, with large video and data files being sent almost instantly and hi-resolution photos posted online in seconds. And high quality voice and video calls mean businesses can keep in touch with customers while they cut down on travel.
For further information on Openreach’s fibre broadband programme visit: www.superfast-openreach.co.uk
Cheadle & Gatley have had super fast broadband for 10 years, in the form of Virgin Media Cable. This needs to be acknowledged!
Not on St Ann’s Rd North !
Yes. When the Government got private enterprise to put in a cable TV network, essentially a US broadband system with co=axial cable to the house it was said to be to give UK a communication network for the future. It was intended that after the firms recovered the costs it would be open to any provider, but they struggled and it never was. It has always provided fast internet, but added fibre a long time ago and has been offering 100Mb for years. There shouldn’t have been any need for millions to be spent dulicating this. BT have had their marketing in superdrive with their adverts of super-fast etc but that is only playing catch-up. These adverts should be controlled properly.
Not everywhere can have Virgin cable – some people are stuck on slower BT speeds until this upgrade is done. Additionally, I’m not a huge fan of private monopolies, and with Virgin’s questionable customer service reputation, a bit of competition is no bad thing.
Iain, I’ve been a Nynex/NTL/Virgin customer for almost 20 years, since it was first installed. Have had excellent service throughout, better than a lot of people have commented about with BT – which incidentally is a private monopoly, so not sure where you’re coming from. BT have had a monopoly of telephone services for years across the UK in areas where cable hasn’t got to.
As an Orange & TMobile customer, I’m being offered fibre broadband & 4G as a package. Where does this fit in to all this? More importantly, will BT leave our pavements in a better condition than Virginia did?
We had the first broadband in Britain in the North West. I was on the original Nynex “Manchester Trial”. It eventually became Virgin Media. BT would not have bothered to get out of the dark ages if it was not for the competition provided by the cable companies. With cable, the advertised speed is the speed you actually get and it very rarely goes wrong. I am typing this via a 30MB connection – the basic Virgin package. I am amazed how the media is hoodwinked by BTs “advances”, that have been available in our area for years – it’s nothing new…
Les, don’t know about the 4G element as that’s into mobile comms, but with all suppliers other than Virgin, the BT connection to your home is used for landline and broadband, hence BT STILL have a monopoly in subbing that bit to Orange, etc. I suspect that BT and hence the other players who use them) will not be giving you fibre to your doorstep, as originally invested in by Nynex. I think it will fibre to the box at the end of the street and then that bit of wire from the post outside your house for the last 100-200m.
John: For the record, you don’t get fibre to the doorstep with cable either: it’s a copper wire from the now Virgin box down the road. (Albeit a different type of wire to that used by BT.)
Roger: I was on the Nynex trial too; it was great. When it worked, which it didn’t for most of the time for me and they could never work out why!
Spring 2015 and we’re still waiting for it on the Lakes Estate!
Winter 2015 and we’re still waiting for it on the Lakes Estate!
Summer 2016… Well, you get the point. It’s disingenuous of BT and the council to state that BT have completed this project when they have, but to their definition of complete, which I assume is a percentage of homes reached.
Entire streets have not been converted.
Mine is not one of the homes, nor do I wish to switch to Virgin broadband, for reasons I do not wish to go into.
BT are taking the mick here, and the Council have fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
Dean – to be fair, I don’t think the Council has commented one way or the other.
Fair point.