Broadband News – May 2017

Virgin & County Updates

On Wednesday 10th May 2017, Virgin Media held an open meeting at the Orpen Hall; it was attended by approximately 40 interested residents.

Is Voice Included?

Emerging from the information provided at that meeting is that the Virgin Media offering does NOT currently include any Landline Telephone Service.  Households will have to purchase telephony separately from (for example), their existing supplier. Virgin Media stated that they hope to be able to provide telephony with their Broadband Service from 2018 or earlier if possible.

County Broadband confirms Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephony service is available as an option with their FTTP Broadband service.  It has varying costs depending on the level of “inclusive” calls required. This avoids the need to pay any dedicated telephony line rental to a 3rd party.

Essex Highways Ensuring Quality of Reinstatement

Following representations made by our Group, Essex Highways are now supervising the quality of work of Virgin Media’s Contractors. This is to ensure that re-instatement works meet the defined standards, especially in terms of the quality of backfill, so that there will be minimal future settlement and drop in pavement levels.

And Let’s Minimise Disruption

Our Group have brought the New Road and Street Works Act, and its Code Of Conduct, to the attention of Virgin Media, County Broadband and the Parish Council.  This Act requires minimising of disruption potentially caused by two contractors digging up the same stretches of pavement.  Virgin & County will therefore share trenches whenever practical to minimise short and long term effects of the provisioning work.

County Confirms Offering and Intentions

County Broadband will be increasing the speed of their wireless broadband service to 100Mbps (symmetric).  This will include the option to have a telephone service too.  This will be offered to both existing customers and new customers.  It will use part of the large increase in internet capacity they are installing into the village in readiness for their fibre broadband service provision.

County Broadband have stated that the delay in starting their fibre broadband provision is due to ‘red tape’ and not any lack of willingness on their part to start the work.  Longer established large operators such as Virgin Media have already completed their negotiations at National Level in this regard.

Phillip Edwards
Secretary
West Bergholt Community Broadband Group
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