Welsh Superfast Broadband Targets Premises

The scheme, which will be announced next week, targets 98,000 premises not included in the Superfast Cymru project.

14:58 30 January 2018

A new project that aims to extend superfast broadband across Wales will be tailored to the needs of particular areas, Welsh Minister Julie James has said.

 

Ms James said: "It will be in lots, it will be tailored to the needs of particular areas of Wales that have differential coverage at the moment.

 

"It will not be one contract for Wales this time. There are very specific problems for very specific parts of Wales that we will be looking to cover off."

 

AMs complained that many rural communities, which were promised superfast broadband connection by Openreach, did not get the service.  

 

Kim Mears, managing director for infrastructure delivery at Openreach, admitted they "have lot to learn."

 

She added: "One way of giving ultimate certainty is that you don't tell anyone anything until you know it's there, and that's not the right answer," she said.

 

"Where we did get it wrong was trying to be open and transparent only to find that last minute issues and barriers got in our way.

 

"If you're one of those homes and individuals who believed that you were going to get superfast connectivity, and you ended up without, I absolutely share the frustration and truly understand what that must feel like."