15 October 2018
Project Update: October 2018
News
We are delighted to report that we remain on track to reach 96% of Leicester and Leicestershire with superfast fibre broadband by the end of 2018. We are also developing plans to roll out superfast broadband to many of the remaining four percent of homes and businesses, which are mainly located in the most difficult to reach rural areas.
We will be investing £5.7m in a new Phase 3 rollout and are seeking further funding to ensure we can reach as many people as possible. The launch of Phase 3 will be announced this month, when internet service providers will have the chance to submit their bids to be our project partners for our future phases.
For those of you not yet served there are two schemes that could help you increase your broadband speeds whilst the preparations for Phase 3 are underway;
Gigabit Voucher Scheme
Leicestershire businesses can now apply for the Government’s £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which offers vouchers to cover the cost of upgrading to full fibre broadband.
This vouchers are worth up to £3,000 for a small or medium sized business.
The great news is that residents can also apply for a £500 voucher, so long as a neighbouring businesses will also benefit from the new upgrade. You can also aggregate vouchers together with other businesses and residents in your area
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond said:
“We’re backing Britain’s small businesses by investing £67 million to bring full-fibre broadband to more businesses up and down the country. This means faster, more reliable broadband access as we build the digital infrastructure we need to make our economy fit for the future”.
Further details are available on the government’s gigabit website. A business in North West Leicestershire had already applied an be successful, there are a limited amount of vouchers available so apply now to avoid disappointment.
Better Broadband Scheme
The Better Broadband scheme is a national government led scheme that has been developed to ensure that everyone is able to access a basic broadband service. £350 has been made available to eligible applicants to cover the cost of installation and equipment needed to provide a faster service.
The connection discount is available to anyone who is unable to access basic broadband of at least 2Mb per second, and where there are no plans to provide superfast broadband access within 12 months.
The scheme is managed by the county council and is funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
Leicestershire residents are being encouraged to see if they could benefit from the Better Broadband scheme by first checking their broadband speed, by searching BT ADSL checker online and inputting their address.
Applications can be made by completing a simple online form.
Cabinets Now Live
The following green cabinets (usually stood at the side of the road) are now enabled with fibre broadband. If you live in one of these areas and would like to upgrade to fibre broadband, search for fibre broadband providers in your area or speak to your current communications provider about upgrading.
Blaby
- Evelyn Drive (Braunstone 24)
- Outside Natwest, Coventry Road (Narborough 37)
Charnwood
- Broome Road, Ratcliffe on Wreake (Sileby 18)
- Junction of Prestwold Lane and Old Parsonage Lane (Wymeswold 13)
City
- Uppingham Road (St Barnabas 46)
- Lee Street (Central 56)
- Wellington Street (Montfort 118)
- East Street (Montfort 135)
Harborough
- Main Street (Kibworth 11)
- Welford Road (Welford 5)
- Stretton Road (Great Glen 12)
Hinckley & Bosworth
- Junction of Elmsthopre Road and Station Road (Earl Shilton 8)
- Junction of Sailsbury Road and Cambourne Road (Hinckley 67)
- Junction of Newbold Road and Kirkby Lane (Desford 17)
- Church Street, Seagrave (Sileby 15)
- Lindridge Lane (Desford 14)
- Junction of Sheepy Road and Pinwall Lane (Atherstone33)
- Junction of Burbage Common Road and Leicester Road (Hinckley 70)
North West Leicestershire
- Junction of Tamworth Road and Burton Road (Measham 4)
- Main Street, Snarestone (Measham 18)
- Nursery In Lane, Staunton Harold (Melbourne 14)
- Junction of Spring Cottage Road and Reservoir Hill (Swadlincote 59)
Oadby & Wigston
- Leicester Road (West Wigston 51)
We have also upgraded the following areas with Fibre to the Premise. You won’t see a new cabinet appear in these areas as the fibre has been installed along overhead poles or underground. If you are served by this type of deployment, once you order a service, an engineer will visit to connect the fibre directly to your property.
Harborough
- LE17 5LH (Lerre pv5040)
- LE17 5LF, LE17 5LH, LE17 5NH (Lerre pv5020)
- LE17 4JP (Lutterworth PV5108)
- LE17 6DF, LE17 6EF (Swinford v35)
Hinckley and Bosworth
- CV13 0JA, CV13 0JD,CV13 0JH,LE67 1DD (Bagworth pv33)
- CV9 3RF, CV9 3RS, CV9 3PG, CV9 3NJ, CV9 3RG, CV9 3RP, CV9 3RR, CV13 6LR (Twycross V5011)
- LE67 0AB, LE67 9PQ,LE67 9PS (Markfield PV1)
Melton
- LE67 4WD, LE67 4WL, LE67 4XB, LE67 4WJ, LE67 4WN (Gaddesby pv5007)
- LE14 3LH, LE14 3LX, LE14 3LY, LE14 3NB,LE14 3PD,LE14 3PR (Nether broughton pv6)
North West Leicestershire
- LE67 8QB, LE67 8HJ, LE67 8HG, LE67 8HL, LE67 8QD, LE67 8HN (Osgathorpe V5017)
- LE12 9XA, Belton (Osgathorpe v5016)
- LE67 6JP, LE67 6PB, LE67 6PW (Ibstock pv5017)
Fibre to the Premise is being used were it proves more cost effective than a cabinet type solution. You will still be able to access the same packages and pricing as those connected by a cabinet. You will be able to access ultrafast speeds but may find a more limited selection of service providers as some do not yet offer fibre to the premise products.
Please be aware that as areas go live there are limited occasions when it can take a couple of weeks before you will be able to place your order.
If you would like to know the status of fibre broadband in your area:
Contact Us
The team can be reached via email: broadband@leics.gov.uk or on the phone: 0116 305 0023
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